The Summer After Disaster
by tivaforever13
Summary: What happens during the summer when Tony, Ziva, and Tim retire from NCIS? Do the three lose touch with their family, do they grow closer together, or are they too hurt to see what is right in front of their faces? What will happen with the infamous partnership between Tony and Ziva? What is Gibbs up to? How do the others react. All characters involved!
1. The Unspoken Rule

**Chapter 1**

**The Unspoken Rule**

Tony went home right after leaving the office that day. He knew that turning in his badge was the right thing to do. He had done it for Gibbs. Gibbs was family. They had created most of the problems that had affected Gibbs as far as where Parsons was involved. So, it was only right that they turned in their badges. You do what you have to for family, that was the unspoken rule. But, why was it so hard? Why was it so hard when he knew that Gibbs would have done the same thing for him.

Tony unlocked the apartment that he had called his home for the past twelve years and looked around. There was nothing inviting about this place right now. There was no family, no work, no food, nothing. He had not eaten all day and he certainly didn't feel hungry right now. Perhaps, having a beer would help.

Tony closed the door and looked at it with a frown on his face. _It's not the doors fault, DiNozzo, don't blame the door_, he scolded himself. He turned to the kitchen and walked in. He opened the refrigerator and noticed that there were only three beers in there. It looked like he was going to have a light night, because he did not feel like going back out again.

He grabbed a beer and headed back toward the living room. He didn't bother to put on the television. Movies were normally his escape, but honestly, how could he escape this? He was unemployed. It was as simple as that. How long would he be unemployed? How long would Gibbs' undercover mission take? No one knew the answer to that. No one could comfort this pain right now.

Well there was one person. Tony was being selfish and he knew it. He had seen the look on her face. She had been devastated by this decision, although it was her idea. She had known that they were doing it for family, but at the same time she was devastated at the prospect of possibly losing touch with her family. Tony knew this. Should he call her to see if she was alright? How had they gotten there?

Tony flashed back to the previous few months. In January Eli David had been shot in a shootout on Director Vance's house, which had also killed Jackie Vance. That had been awful, and the way that he had just let Ziva cry! He had been too angry to move! But, she had broken down and lost it in front of people. That just did not happen to Ziva!

Then, it had all come crashing down as they chased down Bodnar. But, there was Berlin. Berlin was one of his best memories aside from Paris. He was not sure which was a better memory. Perhaps Berlin. Berlin was where he felt as though she might finally realize that she, too, was in love with Tony. But, then something stung Tony.

The word friend. She had told him that they were friends. _But, she stuttered over that, DiNozzo_, he told himself and was sorely tempted to head-slap himself for not remembering that at the time or now either. It was difficult to interpret the true meaning of that conversation, but he was sure that they were more than friends. She had certainly made it seem so. Honestly, a woman does not just place her hands on your chest and look that way into your eyes when she is talking to you and not have you mean more to her than a coworker or a friend. They were partners, yes, but they always had each other's backs inside and outside of work. Tony sighed and looked at his phone.

No one had called. It was sad to think that no one might call for a long time. But, as he stared at his blank phone the screen lit up and it began to buzz in his hands.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Ziva sat in her car for a long time, holding onto her phone. She had never felt so alone in all her life. She had decided for the team, she had brought the proposition to them of what they should do next, and it had indeed been the most important campfire that Tony had ever had for the team. Ziva sighed. They had spent a long time to get to where they were now. She was hiding herself from Tony again, and that never ended in anything good. She knew that from experience.

Ziva thought back on the times that she chose to hide important things from Tony. There was the deal with Michael Rivkin and then she had not seen that he was so bad for her and Tony had her back. That landed her in Somalia. That was quite a harsh punishment, if you asked her now; although at the time she thought she deserved every ounce of it. There was the time that she couldn't see that Ray was not the person he was making himself out to be, that had gotten Tony mad at her again. But, the most recent months had held a lot of that for her.

Post-elevator Tony and Ziva were supposed to be more open and honest with each other and talk about important things. But, she had hidden important things from him and hurt him in her effort to protect him. She had hidden where she went the morning after her father's death. There were not harsh consequences for that, but she had not spoken her mind in that synagogue that morning. What she wanted was him, not revenge. Yes, of course she wanted revenge, but her first thought was to say him. He was her hope. Why couldn't she just say that?

Then, she had betrayed his trust, and hidden from him the part of her that was so attached to him. She had slept with Adam in Israel and that was very wrong. As a matter of fact, it felt very wrong at the time she did it and it was too difficult to deal with, so she had hidden it. Parsons was the one that had revealed that secret to Tony, and not on purpose, but Tony had still stepped up to the plate and had her back in that interrogation room last week. She was glad that he did, but felt even more guilty for what she had done.

But, the other time that she hid things from him, was when she was tracking down Bodnar with McGee. She had asked McGee, because she knew that in the end, McGee would let her go get Bodnar alone. Tony would insist on coming and she had wanted to protect him. She couldn't tell him that, of course, so she just told him nothing at all. That had hurt him nearly as deeply as her night with Adam.

She was alone now. She was still sitting in her car at NCIS and she was never more alone in her life. She had quit her job, despite the fact that she loved it. She had done what she had to for her family and she missed them terribly. She had left McGee and Tony earlier than they had left the building. She had watched them. McGee had gotten in his car and left without noticing her. But, Tony had looked up. He had not even come over and he had looked up. She was alone. She had broken his trust too much this time, and she was sure of it. Perhaps not, though.

She was reminded of Tony's words at the airport earlier that year. At lo lovad, he had said to her. He had told her that she was not alone. And that was not like a physically "you are not alone". His tone and his eyes said more of a "you are never alone" than anything else.

With that thought she dialed the phone. She took a deep breath and thought of only one thing. She pressed the talk button and held the phone to her ear, ignoring the tears that were rolling down her cheeks as she did this.


	2. Reaching Out

A/N – So this is my first fanfiction that I've ever written. I know we've all heard about Cote not returning to NCIS in the fall, but I don't know if that will happen in this story or not. I don't really know where it's going at this point. I just had a few thoughts in my head that have been brewing there since the end of the season and I thought I would write them down. Let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or the characters.

**Chapter 2**

**Reaching Out**

Tony looked at his phone in awe. He had just finished thinking about her and she was calling him now? Wow! He had to answer it. He pressed the talk button and put the phone slowly to his ear.

"Ziva?" he asked into the phone.

"Tony, I..."

But, what was she supposed to say to him now? Was she supposed to say that she felt alone? Was she supposed to tell him that she wasn't sure what to do now that they did not have jobs? Was she supposed to tell him that she was still sitting in her car and had not found the courage to drive home?

"What is it, Ziva?" he asked gently into the phone. "Are you alright?"

"I feel alone, Tony," she whispered into the phone.

Initially Tony was shocked that she didn't say that she was fine. But, he answered right away, as though he had known what she was going to say. In reality, Tony had basically known what this call meant.

"You are not alone, Ziva. At lo levad, like I said before. You are never alone," he said quietly, but very seriously.

She was quiet as she listened to this. It only brought more tears to her eyes. Did he realize how good he was to her? Did he realize that she did not deserve it? She sighed, but continued to remain quiet. After a moment, Tony spoke again.

"Do you want me to come over, Ziva?"

"I am not home. I... I never left yet," she said quietly. "Can… can I come over? I can bring food. You have not eaten all day. I will bring beer too, you must be almost out."

How did she do that? Was she always such a ninja? How could she possibly know that he was nearly out of beer, had not eaten all day, and still had not eaten? He shrugged his shoulders and shook his had at the questions that would never have an answer. They knew each other well, and she knew that he was suffering now, just like her and what his solution would be. That would have been her solution too. But, this was one time too many and she knew now that she was not alone. Did he know that? She had never said it.

"That sounds great, zee-vah," he said dragging out her name, and she could nearly hear the smile on his face through the phone. "What are you going to bring me?"

He was like a child sometimes, she had to admit it. But, it made her smile. He could always make her smile, even when she was upset. She thought to continue with their usual banter, as though nothing was wrong. That was how she normally dealt with things and how he did too; at least, that was how they did things recently. It was the easiest thing to do.

"If I told you that, then where would be the fun?" she asked him.

"Come on!" he said in a playful tone. "You know you want to tell me!"

"No, I do not think that I do," she said. "I think I want to leave you guessing. I will see you in twenty minutes Tony."

_Well, I guess I can wait twenty minutes to find out. She is coming over, after all_, Tony thought.

"See you soon, Miss David," he said smiling.

"Bye, Tony," she said with a smile on her face also and hung up the phone.

Finally, Ziva started the car and backed out of her parking space. She did have some hope. She had asked for some sign of hope that day and he had entered. That was good. He always gave her hope. They could get through this together. She knew it.

She called into the pizza place near his house as she drove. There was a liquor store right there and she stopped there before getting the pizza to get a twelve pack of beer for them to share. That would be more than enough for one night. When she had the pizza she finally drove the rest of the way to his apartment and parked on the side of the street along with too many other cars.

She got out of the car with the pizza and the beer and locked her car. She walked into the building and headed for the elevator. She did not feel like taking the stairs today, because the elevator was faster.

When she was finally in front of his door, she knocked, suddenly feeling rather nervous. That didn't make any sense. Why would she be nervous to see someone who she worked with every single day for the last eight years? He was her partner and nothing more, she tried to convince herself. He had accepted her strange and stuttered word of friend and that had to mean that he thought they were friends, right?

He opened the door and smiled his thousand-watt smile at her, the one that he saved for when they were alone and no one else could see it. She smiled in return, the same smile that she saved only for him, that no one else had seen in a very long time.

She stepped into the apartment and handed him the box of pizza and followed him to the kitchen. She placed the beers in his refrigerator and took one out for herself and one out for him, having noticed that there was an empty one on his coffee table in his living room. She could hear him grabbing around for some napkins and paper plates.

They returned to the living room with the box of pizza and the beers. They sank into the couch, welcoming the fact that they were not alone for the moment. It was a comfort and a blessing all in one. But, soon enough they would have to talk about that heavy topic that was on their minds that night. They would have to talk about what they had done that day, right?


	3. Coping

**Chapter 3**

**Coping**

McGee drove home as soon as he had collected his things from his desk. He felt amazing for what he was doing for his boss. Gibbs would have done it for him. And, in many ways Gibbs was the father to him that his own father had never been. Gibbs had accepted McGee for what he was instead of trying to change him, and wanting him to become a part of the Navy. McGee was glad that he was able to help and follow the absolute most important rule of them all: you do what you have to do for family.

He went home and called Delilah and told her all about what had happened in the past week. They had not spoken much in the time as he had worked the case and dealt with Parsons. He apologized for the length between seeing her and calling her. She understood. But, she was not happy when she heard what he had done for his boss.

"You did what, Tim?" she asked him, sounding shocked and hurt.

"I said, the three of us turned in our badges. Listen, Delilah, we have caused the problems. We are taking responsibility for our actions. Gibbs is on some secret mission now and this will get Parsons off him while he does that. When his assignment is over then we can have our jobs back and deal with all this, alright?" McGee asked his girlfriend.

They had only recently started dating and this was a huge shock to her and McGee knew it. He sank down into his couch and thought as he spoke. He could see her reason to be angry. He was now jobless. But, Delilah did not know that he was an author and could have money if he sat in front of a computer for long enough to write a book. Oh, the books he could right about this situation!

"You quit your job, Tim! You quit you job for a boss who pushes you too hard and treats you like slaves… he calls you at all hours of the day and night to come into work… he makes you work long hours and late into the night and sometimes through the nights or weekends! He doesn't really care about you that much, Tim!" Delilah shouted.

That stung. How could she think like that? She didn't know Gibbs, so she couldn't possibly know whether he cared or not. And, oh the things that Gibbs had done for all three of his team members in the past! He couldn't even begin to comprehend all the times Gibbs had saved them from trouble.

"Delilah, he has done more drastic things to get us out of trouble than we are doing now for him. This is the least we could do for him," McGee said into the phone, a little annoyed now. "Maybe I shouldn't have called you."

"Why not? You haven't talked to me in a week, or seen me for that matter. Remember, you were too busy with cases?" she said angrily.

"Listen, I told you, Gibbs is like a father to me. I would do anything for him, you know that already. You accepted that when I met you," McGee said. "I am now at one of those time periods where I am doing what I have to for family."

"Whatever, Tim," she said. "I'll call you tomorrow. I actually have to go to work in the morning."

She hung up the phone before giving McGee the chance to respond. McGee brushed it off and turned on his computer. He would just play a few games and go to sleep. Hopefully she would be less angry in the morning.

* * *

Tony and Ziva ate in silence as they stared at the blank TV screen in front of them. They were avoiding the reason why Ziva had called. But, when the pizza was gone and their bottles of beer were empty, someone had to say something. Tony got up first and avoided Ziva's eyes when he spoke.

"Want another beer?" he asked.

"Sure," she replied, without looking at him.

Tony was only gone a moment, to take the empty box to the kitchen (which he would throw in the dumpster tomorrow) and to grab two more beers. When he came back into the living room he got a glimpse of Ziva.

Ziva had let her walls down and all of her emotions were clearly showing on her face now. She was worrying. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know, but now her face emphasized that point. She was hunched over a little more than normal and had abandoned her perfectly straight posture. She was also wringing her hands together nervously.

Tony sat down close to her on the couch and placed the opened beer bottle in front of her. She didn't say anything and she didn't move. She was lost in her thoughts.

"What's on your mind, Ziva?"

"Do you think we did the right thing, Tony?" she asked. "Do you think we did the right thing by turning in our badges and guns to Vance? What if it does not protect Gibbs from that snake, Parsons?"

"Everything will turn out fine, Ziva, I promise," Tony said, taking her hands in his, slightly annoyed by the constant movement in front of him.

Ziva finally raised her eyes to meet his, a little surprised by the sudden contact between the two of them. His eyes were filled with many of the same worries that she was now sharing with him. His were also filled with care and it melted her heart a little. She relaxed at his touch and look and sighed deeply.

"I know, Tony. I am just worried. I am worried about McGee, but I suppose he has the lovely Delilah to turn to. But, I am also worried about Abby. She is still working there. And Ducky and Palmer! How are they going to react on Monday when they come in and we are not there? I am very worried about Gibbs!"

"It's not the first time Gibbs has run off. Gibbs will be fine," Tony promised her. "Trust me, Ziva. Gibbs will be fine. We can call McGee in the morning and Abby, too. If you want, we can call Ducky and Palmer and see how they are doing. We can tell them what we did so it won't be a surprise. Is that what you want to do?"

"I... I do not know, Tony," she said, lowering her gaze from his intense look.

Tony was wondering what else he could say to her to make this better for her. She was going to worry, but at least she was not the only one worrying about these things.

"I think we should leave it," she said suddenly. "If they want to talk, they will call, right? If they do not call soon, then we should call to see how they are. I mean, this was sudden and they need time to adjust to the change as well, right?"

"Probably," Tony said, thinking that he really did need time to adjust to all this, and knew the team well enough to know that they would need that time as well. "That sounds like a good idea, Ziva."

They sat in silence for another moment and then Ziva turned to face Tony again. There was some memory in her eyes that Tony could not place. He could not quite understand why her eyes were hurt.

"What?" he asked her gently.

"I am really sorry, Tony," she said quietly.

"For what?"

"For what I did in Israel," she said quietly, almost in a whisper.

"I told you, don't worry about that," Tony said almost as quietly, feeling nervous that she was bringing this up again, when they had already talked about it and decided that nothing was awkward between friends.

"But, I do, Tony. You told me… you said I was not alone. I... I should have just… I should have called you instead," she said to him timidly. "I feel… I feel like I have… betrayed you somehow."

Her voice was now a full whisper as she admitted what she was afraid to admit to herself. She really did feel like she had betrayed him and admitting this was difficult. But, she knew she had to tell him and get that off her mind before the rest of this discussion could continue. It was currently distracting her from her other thoughts.

Tony pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her waist, and held her tightly. How could she feel that way? Yes, he had said the words. Yes, he had meant them as more than what they could have meant. Yes, he had felt betrayed. But, he was past that and she was still beating herself up. She had beaten herself up for it since the moment that she had acted without thinking. He could see that in her eyes now as she spoke. He just wanted to hold her now and comfort her. She was so vulnerable and she was breaking apart. But, the best part of this was that she had actually seen what he had meant and what he was really saying to her. And, she was still there with that realization in her mind. He had chosen a good time to tell her and a good way to convey it to her and it was paying off now, though not in the way he had expected it to.

"I know, Ziva," he whispered into her ear during his embrace. "I know. But, I have no reason to feel betrayed. Do not feel as though you have betrayed me, please. You understood what I meant. That makes me _very_ happy."

She pulled back from him and looked deep into his green eyes. She was not sure what to say to him now, so she just stared at him. Yes, she had known what he meant, but now he knew, too, that she had known that for a long time. Where did that put them now?

* * *

A/N - Please review. Let me know what you think of the story so far.


	4. Back to Normal

Disclaimer: I still do not own NCIS or the characters.

**Chapter 4**

**Back to Normal**

"So, how about a movie?" Ziva asked, knowing that was something she could always count on doing with Tony.

"What do you want to watch?" he asked her, having thought earlier that a movie was inappropriate to watch for once in his life.

She thought about it for a moment. She didn't have a huge knowledge base for movies like he did. She got up from his couch, feeling his eyes following her. She walked over to his shelves filled with movies. She scanned through them and thought about a few that caught her eye. She knew that he really liked James Bond, but she was not in the mood for action right now. She finally saw a movie that she thought was right for the moment. She pulled it out and put it into the DVD player. She took the remote from the coffee table and joined Tony on the couch.

"What did you pick?" he asked her, his eyes curious and his expression cautious.

Ziva only smiled as she pressed play on the remote. His eyes moved to the TV screen, realizing that she was making him find out on his own. He waited patiently as the previews rolled through. He looked at her as soon as he read the title on the screen.

"Forest Gump?" he asked curiously.

"It seemed appropriate," she said with a small nod to him, gazing into his deep green eyes. "I like how Forest and Jenny are good friends, but really more than that, and keep going back to each other and being happy with who they are and once were. It reminds me of you and me in many ways."

Tony smiled widely at her as the movie began. A few minutes into the movie, Ziva found herself leaning into Tony's side, like they had done so long ago when Gibbs had retired and gone off to Mexico with Mike Franks. How she had missed those movie nights!

Tony smiled when he felt Ziva leaning on his arm. He quickly moved his arm so that she would be comfortable on his side. He rested his arm on the back of the couch and allowed her to lay on him. After a short while he moved his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders and rested his hand on her waist. He glanced down at her just in time to see a soft smile on her face. She was enjoying this as much as he was and that made him very happy.

She moved her hand to his chest toward the end of the movie and fell asleep where she was. He, too, fell asleep before the movie had finished. It was much more peaceful of a night than either of them thought they would ever have after what they had been through earlier that day.

* * *

When Ziva woke up the next morning, she realized that she was not in a bed. She waited a moment before opening her eyes. She was nearly sitting up, which told her that she had fallen asleep during the movie last night. She thought of the things that had happened yesterday that had forever changed her life.

She had left NCIS with Tony and McGee, resigning to save Gibbs. She had sat in her car for a long time, struggling to come to terms with something that Tony had told her months ago and had taken his words at the value that she thought they had. She was glad that she did.

She opened her eyes now and looked around. She was in Tony's living room, sitting on his couch with him. His arms were wrapped around her and she could feel the warmth of him and the slow rise and fall of his chest as he slept. She snuggled deeper into him, enjoying the safe feeling that she had right now.

Ziva could tell, by how bright the sunlight filtering into the living room was, that it was much later than she normally woke up. It was definitely not five in the morning. It was much later than that, and she did not care to know what time it really was. She closed her eyes again and enjoyed the moment, until she felt Tony starting to stir underneath her.

Tony became aware that he was not in his bed because of the dull throbbing of his back. But, he soon realized that he was not alone. That was definitely not a blanket that was making him that warm. He thought of the previous day, and could see it flashing through his mind.

He, McGee, and Ziva had quit their jobs. He and Ziva had spent the evening together, as friends, of course. They had taken care of each other last night. Ziva had brought pizza and beer and he had offered her comfort. That was all that the two friends could do for each other now. _Friends? Were they friends, or something more?_ he questioned himself.

She turned to look up at him and noticed that he was staring down at her with one of those dreamy expressions on his face, like he used when they were alone and no one else could read them. She smiled up at him.

"Good morning, Tony," she said with a gentle smile on her face and still not moving from his side.

"Good morning, Zee-vah," he said, smiling widely at her and holding her closer than she had been. "Sleep well?"

"Exceptionally," she said, her smile widening at the way they were now. "How about you?"

"Oh, yes, absolutely," he said quietly, his smile growing a little too, and his eyes twinkling with delight.

"So, do you have coffee here? Or is your kitchen totally bare, Tony?"

"We'll have to go to the grocery store and fix my kitchen, I think," Tony said. "What do you think?"

"We?" she asked him, her face turning curious and still keeping her walls down, since it was easy to do with Tony there.

"Well, yes. I would like to think that… well, maybe we could do this again some time… soon… you know, only if you want to?" he asked her.

She smiled at him and slowly sat up. He playfully pulled her back to him and she let out a gasp as she was pulled back.

"Tony!" she scolded with a smile on her face, laughing at the playful action.

"Yes, Zee-vah?" he asked, as though he had no idea what she was scolding him for.

"I thought you wanted to go grocery shopping?" she asked, still laughing. "It is already after nine. We should go get some coffee and breakfast and go to the store. I should also stop by my apartment and get some clothes if I am going to be sleeping on your couch."

"Who said anything about the couch?" he asked, mocking confusion.

"Well, I am certainly not going to make you sleep on the couch, your back will hurt you and it probably already does," Ziva said, sitting up again and looking at him as though she could determine from his face whether his back was bothering him or not.

Tony stretched and turned his back for a moment. It really did hurt, a lot. But, he didn't care. He had just slept with Ziva at his side. How could he complain about that?

"Nope. My back is perfect," he said with a smile, but she knew he was lying.

"You are such a bad liar, Tony," she said with a devious smile and pulled him off the couch as she stood up. "Let's go get coffee and breakfast."

He chuckled and steadied himself on his feet from being dragged upward by Ziva. He was amazed that she was able to pull him up, not that he had been fighting it.

* * *

A/N – Let me know what you think!


	5. Mention of a Forbidden Topic

**Chapter 5**

**Mention of a Forbidden Topic**

"No, Tony, I am cooking tonight," Ziva said as they waited in the checkout line of the grocery store.

They had already gotten their coffee and breakfast. They had gone to Ziva's apartment, where she had gotten a large bag of clothes, knowing that she did not want to be alone and neither did Tony. They had shopped and argued over how much food to get and now they were almost close enough to put their food on the counter to pay for it, as they continued to playfully argue over what dinner was going to be tonight.

"Alright, Ziva," he said, resigned to the fact that they had been going on about this since putting the food in the cart. "I still don't see why we can't just have Chinese or something."

"Because take-out every night is not healthy and I have not been able to cook for myself or anyone else in a really long time," Ziva explained. "I do enjoy cooking, you know, and I am pretty sure you will like what I cook for you tonight."

"And, what are you planning on making?" Tony asked with a pleading look on his face, filling with the feeling of anticipation, since he knew how well Ziva knew him.

"Lasagna," she answered simply with a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

The smile on his face was bigger than anything she had ever seen before on him. It was a like a small child who wakes up on Christmas morning to find an overwhelming amount of presents waiting for them. She smiled back at him, just as big and just as genuine. She really enjoyed pleasing him like this.

"I told you," she whispered, leaning up to his ear and getting closer than she normally would have done. When she was back in his view her smile was wider than before, and her chocolate eyes were bright with a happiness that Tony hadn't seen in her since before her father was killed.

"I know, you did," he agreed, unable to argue with her now that he knew what she was planning.

They paid for the food and loaded up the car. They got in and Tony immediately took Ziva's hand in the center. His grip was firm, but gentle, and not demanding in any way. Ziva laced their fingers together and smiled up at him from her side of the car. She was reminded strongly of the last time that he did this.

* * *

**_She glanced down at their laced fingers. "I'll have to catch her one day… you know, and thank her," he said quietly, in almost a whisper as he glanced into her chocolate eyes, while they waited for the light to turn green._**

**_Ziva couldn't help but smile at his words. He had just said that he was going to thank Orli for making her into the person she was, which did inevitably bring them together. This had really been a wonderful trip and Ziva was beginning to see that they fit very well together, perhaps better than she could have ever imagined, but there was something that she needed to tell him before her thoughts could go any further._**

**_"Tony…," but she was cut off by an oncoming car that hit their own._**

* * *

She had not gotten the chance to tell Tony about her mistake with Adam that day and she should have found the time to tell him right after the accident. But, he had forgiven her and she now felt at peace with that, because she had finally addressed it without using the word "friend" since no one else had been around last night to overhear that conversation, and she knew that neither of them knew how to define their relationship. They were friends, but they were closer than any friends could ever really be. They were partners, but how deep did that run? Were they just partners at work? Or were they partners all the time? Ziva thought it felt like the second of the options.

"What's on your mind, Ziva?" Tony asked, seeing the familiar expression that she carried when she was thinking deeply about something.

"Berlin… or rather, the ride home from Berlin," she said to him honestly, smiling and blushing a little as she glanced down at their hands again.

Tony smiled too and squeezed her hand. "Berlin was fantastic… except for the fact that we got the wrong Bodnar brother."

"Yes, it was fantastic, _despite_ the fact that it was the wrong Bodnar brother," Ziva said, changing the wording to suit what she felt. "I enjoyed my time there with you… like in…."

She stopped herself from finishing her thought. They had never talked about Paris. They had agreed not to talk about Paris. Given, it was a silent agreement, but were they really going to talk about Paris now? There was already so much going on and she thought that if they talked about Paris then their true feelings might be revealed and things might change between them again. She was not sure she was ready for that change, though she wanted it.

"Like where, Ziva?" Tony asked, curiosity playing across his whole face as he let down his guard for her.

She shook her head quickly. Her walls were going up, although much more slowly than she normally put them up. She was afraid of talking about Paris; she was afraid that it would change everything and she didn't want Tony to see the fear or the raw emotions on her face, because then he would know without her saying anything how she felt. Tony knew what she was thinking about, though, since that was where his mind had immediately flashed to when she stopped speaking. It was the only thing that they _never_ talked about. Her eyes said things that she didn't think she could and he was good at reading those things. He could see the fears and the desires to discuss this and get it out of their minds as something they shouldn't talk about.

"Paris?" he asked, his tone cautious but confident at the same time.

Ziva's eyes shot up to meet his and he smiled softly at her, letting her know that it was okay. She did want to talk about it, but she had not been able to predict that it was on his mind as well. How had she missed that? Ziva nodded slowly to him and he smiled again. His smile was genuine and pure, and he was keeping this light for now, but she could see the burning desire to talk about it bubbling up inside him.

"For the record, I enjoyed my time there too," he said as he parked the car in front of his apartment.

Their conversation was interrupted by them unpacking the car, bringing the groceries up the stairs, putting the groceries away, and making and eating some sandwiches for a late lunch.

Finally, Ziva sank into the couch and sighed heavily. She really did want to talk about Paris. It was a very important moment in her life. She could remember the significance of Paris well.

* * *

**_They stood there, looking around the hotel room. They were at the Ritz for a night. They were in Paris to pick up a witness, but there had only been one room available and it only had one bed. She knew it wouldn't be so bad, but they were going to fight over who got the couch. She was going to insist on taking it and he was going to insist on being a gentleman and take it; that was the way that Tony and Ziva worked. She already had a solution in her head to present to him, but she didn't know if he would go for it. The tension between them was nearly visible at this point and they could both feel it._**

**_"I got you something, Ziva," he whispered gently from right behind her, though he was not close enough to have his body touch hers._**

**_She jumped a little. She had not heard him come that close to her and she was surprised by him being so suddenly close. She had been so jumpy since her return from Somalia so many months ago, though that was getting better with time. She turned slowly to face him, wondering what he had gotten for her. Her curiosity took over and she knew that it was visible on her face, as she allowed her walls to drop for him since they were alone._**

**_"You startled me, Tony," she said honestly, her eyes telling him that she felt safe still._**

**_"I thought that ninjas couldn't get surprised?" Tony asked playfully, keeping the mood light, even though it was definitely a serious moment._**

**_"When we go through as much as this ninja has gone through, then yes, Tony, sometimes we get a little surprised. I was… I was just lost in my thoughts," she said to him being serious and light in the same comment, trying not to make too much of the situation; she knew it would overwhelm her if she remained serious about it the whole time. He knew that too, which was why he had taken to lightening the mood._**

**_He smiled at her and held up a box in front of her. It was a long, skinny box that was covered in black velvet. She narrowed her eyes at him as she saw the box._**

**_"You did say you got me something… um, jewelry Tony?" she asked, unsure of how to react to this gesture._**

**_He opened the box slowly and she gasped in surprise at what she saw there._**

**_"I noticed that you lost your Star of David when you were there," he said quietly, ignoring the fact that they never mentioned Somalia or what happened there, but being sure not to bring up the location, so as not to hurt her. "I thought, since it was very important to you, I would get you a new one."_**

**_"This is really expensive, Tony," she said, noticing that this new Star of David pendant had tiny diamonds laced into it, where her other one had just been plain silver. "You did not have to do this for me."_**

**_"I wanted to do it, Ziva," he said softly, holding her gaze and reading the gratitude that was in her eyes. "It means a lot to you."_**

**_She smiled up at him and took the box from him. Before taking the necklace out of the box she leaned up and kissed him on the lips. They stood there for a moment with their lips just pressed together. Then his hands went to her back gently and hers around his neck slowly, locking each other in their places. He opened his mouth and his tongue licked at her bottom lip, asking for entrance and she allowed it. They shared a passionate kiss for several minutes and then pulled apart when they needed air and she looked down, away from him. Not sure what to feel in that moment._**

**_She was scared of what she was feeling. She felt as though she had given Tony a message that she did not know how to say with words; like she had told him how she really felt about him; like she finally gave him the proper thanks for rescuing her and bringing her back home; like she finally got to give him the pent up emotions and desire that she had wanted to give him for so long. But, she was afraid, because she had never given into feelings, and never felt anything so strong for another person before. She was afraid that this moment would change them forever. But, she was not ready for wherever this kiss or this gesture would take them. She knew that he could see that in her eyes, even though she was looking away from him._**

**_"Thank you, Tony," she whispered, giving him one last longing look._**

* * *

**_Later that night, she had awoken with a nightmare about some of the things that had happened in Somalia. Tony comforted her and reminded her that she was not in Somalia that night, but rather in Paris with him. She leaned into his warm and comforting touch quite willingly and rested her head on his shoulder. His arms went around her and her arm moved around him. She didn't fail to notice that they fit perfectly this way, like they were made for each other. She felt safe with his arms around her, and she smiled into his chest._**

**_"Thank you, Tony," she whispered one more time that night and fell asleep that way._**

* * *

A/N – I know there were a lot of questions about what really happened in Paris when that episode had come out. I hope this is okay. I didn't want to run too wild with it, since there were also a lot of questions about what happened to Ziva in Somalia and it was only a few months after she came back to NCIS from Somalia.


	6. Finally Talking About Paris

A/N – So this chapter changes things a bit… I did not see this change coming so soon, but my brain is a mystery to me. So, here is a sweet and touching chapter. Enjoy.

Disclaimer – I do not own NCIS.

**Chapter 6**

**Finally Talking About Paris**

Tony joined Ziva on the couch and looked at her carefully. He knew that she was thinking deeply about something, but so was he. He took her hand gently in his own. He kept looking at her in silence for a long while. He could remember Paris very well.

Tony remembered that he had given Ziva an important piece of jewelry there, a replacement of her Star of David necklace that she had lost in Somalia, and that they had shared a passionate kiss. He remembered how he had comforted her through the night when she had had a nightmare. He had not known entirely what that nightmare was about, but he had caught the name Saleem among the Hebrew mutterings that she had spoken while she was asleep.

Ziva now began to absentmindedly play with the Star of David pendant that she wore around her neck; it sparkled as she played with it. Her eyes found the pendant and grew wide with the memory of how she had gotten it. She was still amazed at the beauty of the pendant that she wore everyday and had replaced the one that she had worn for so many years before this one, although she had occasionally taken that one off. She had not removed this one since Tony had helped her put it on three years ago.

For some reason, in Ziva's mind, this pendant meant so much more to her than the last one had. Her first Star of David necklace had been her mother's, from when she had married her father. It had signified something of her mother and her father and something of Israel. It had been very important to her and she wore it more often than she didn't, but never every day.

But, this new pendant, this signified a piece of Tony. It reminded her everyday of how much he really cared about her. It had been a long time since she had stopped to admire this silver and diamond pendant, which was now reflecting rainbows in the light of Tony's living room. She thought that she should stop and admire it a little more, or just allow Tony to show her how much he cared all the time. She smiled at her thoughts. She could not help but smile, because she was starting to realize that she wanted Tony to show her how he cared for her. She was starting to realize that this was not a bad thing and that he was not going to go away at the first sign of trouble; otherwise, he would never have gone to Somalia and found her.

Ziva forced her eyes away from the beautiful piece of jewelry, that signified his love for her. She met Tony's green eyes, which were now filled with curiosity. He was looking at her and watching her every little move, reading her expressions and movements carefully. Ziva could see that Tony knew that she was still thinking about Paris now that it had been brought up, a little more than three years later.

Neither Tony nor Ziva had brought Paris up after they arrived back at NCIS. They had kind of seen it as a forbidden topic to them and especially to others. It was something that they were just not going to discuss again, up until this moment in time, where they both knew that they were about to talk about it. This made Ziva both nervous and excited, since there were so many things that she had wanted to say about Paris. There were so many things that she had learned about herself that day, and she wanted to share them with Tony.

It had just been brought up again. They had touched that subject that was so sensitive and so meaningful at the same time and they were sitting on it for a long while, while they remembered their time in Paris together. It was easy to be reminded of those feelings now that they had gone through so much together in the recent months.

They had no job now, so there were very few repercussions of discussing Paris. Why not take advantage of that? Their job, and Gibbs' rule twelve, had stopped them from talking about it before. The simple act of kissing each other and cuddling in Paris was enough to break rule twelve. Talking about all of that meant they would be opening up their hearts to what they felt so strongly, and admitting it, finally, and breaking rule twelve. But, Gibbs was not their boss and they did not have to follow that rule right now. What if they talked about this and then went back to work? How would it affect them? Would Gibbs be angry? Ziva decided she did not care and she wanted to talk about it anyway. But, it scared her.

"Are we going to talk about Paris, Tony?" Ziva asked nervously and in a tone that was almost shy.

Tony studied Ziva's face and posture. She was leaning into him, showing him how much she trusted him. Her expression told him that she was afraid of something changing. Her eyes, however, told him that she had hope; more hope than he could ever remember seeing in her eyes. She wanted to talk about this and get things straightened out to how they should be; how they were in reality.

"Do you want to?" Tony asked cautiously, not giving her a direct response, because he needed to know her answer before he could give her one.

Ziva nodded slowly to him. Of course she wanted to talk about it. But, Tony could see the fear. He could see that there was something that had held her back all these years, and he thought of his own fears.

When Ziva had kissed him in Paris, he had not been expecting it and he had been afraid that the emotions behind it would change them forever. When they got back, it was like it had never happened, as long as the others were around them. However, when they were alone they were much closer and had spent countless amounts of energy dancing around what they were feeling. They were both tired from this dance and they needed to finally meet in the middle, where they would find only happiness.

"What about you, Tony? Do you want to talk about Paris?" Ziva asked slowly and quietly, still looking into his eyes.

Tony nodded too, unsure of what else to say. He had the same fears that Ziva did, and they did not need to tell each other their fears. Tony sighed quietly and gave Ziva's hand a reassuring squeeze. _Things will not change too much between us, Ziva_, is what he was saying. Ziva clutched her pendant a little tighter and smiled at Tony. _You are right, Tony, they already have changed_, was what she was telling him. And, they both knew that was the truth.

"It meant… it meant a lot to me," Ziva said slowly, finally opening up a little more.

Tony was a little confused, but allowed her the time she needed to think about whatever she was talking about. He gave her the time to gather her thoughts, because it was important that he didn't push her. Whenever he pushed her for information she closed up again immediately. He really wanted to talk about this, so he needed her to do this in her own way.

"You getting me this and giving it to me in Paris," Ziva reiterated, clearing up her earlier statement. "It meant a lot to me. It still _means_ a lot to me."

Tony smiled slightly at her. He had known that already, but he still liked to hear it. Hell, she had kissed him before asking him to help her put it on! Of course that had told him how much it meant to her, and there was not one day that went by where she didn't wear it, Tony had noticed.

"So did your other pendant," Tony reminded her, thinking about how she wore it almost everyday and how she had hesitated to let him borrow it in that shipping container one day when they were working together, while she was still a member of Mossad.

"Not as much as this, Tony," she said in barely more than a whisper, holding onto her pendant again and looking deep into Tony's eyes. "This means more… this necklace… it was from you… I realized many things that day, Tony."

"Me too, Ziva," he said, almost as quietly and pulled her a little closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist in a very gently and caring way.

Neither of them spoke for several minutes. There was more that they needed to talk about that they had been avoiding for years. They were both afraid and they could each see that in each others' eyes. But, they were not alone and they could do it, as long as they were together. And it was that thought that got Ziva to speak again.

"Did it mean anything to you, Tony?" Ziva asked him, still looking into his eyes.

"Did what mean something to me?" he asked curiously, rephrasing a little, and thinking that she was talking about the kiss that they shared in Paris.

"The… the kiss, Tony?" Ziva asked timidly, bringing up the most intimate moment that they had ever shared, aside from the undercover mission, which had been more filled with lust than anything else.

The kiss in Paris had been very different than the previous kiss they had shared while they were undercover. That kiss had been hungry, all business, and for show. This kiss, however... well, it was passionate and filled with care and there was no hunger in it, at least not much. Ziva knew that her body had reacted to the intimate contact that they had shared. She also knew that his body had reacted. Her reactions had scared her, because it was all too soon.

Tony nodded very slightly to her and then swallowed. But, he wanted to say what was on his mind now. "Yes, Ziva," he whispered to her. "It meant more than I know how to say."

Ziva smiled involuntarily and then leaned her head on his chest. She was comfortable there. She knew that things were about to change more between them and she knew that he would have her back no matter what. He had practically said the words that were keeping her up at night; the very thing she wanted to know. He did feel the same way about her that she did about him. That was a comfort and she could live with the small change in them since that was the case.

Ziva met his eyes again. They had not discussed this for a good reason, but this was the best time to test the waters since they were unemployed and did not have to worry about Gibbs and his rules.

"You kissing me told me a lot," Tony went on, staring into her chocolate eyes and no longer wanting to hide what he was thinking from this beautiful Israeli that he held in his arms. "It told me you trust me enough to open up in some way. It told me you were more than a little grateful for the pendant. It told me that… that you thought of me… um… differently than the other people we work with."

Ziva continued to look into his sparkling green eyes as he spoke. She was not surprised that he had gotten all of that from their kiss, because she had poured her soul into that one kiss.

"It meant a lot to me, too, Tony," she whispered to him. "I do see you differently…. I... I trust you, Tony. You gave this to me and I saw how much… how much you really… cared about me… how much you…."

Ziva stopped herself from saying the rest of that. She knew what she was trying to say, but confessing that much was huge. She knew that Tony was in love with her. She felt the same way about him. They had both seen it that day in Paris and they had never talked about it.

Tony reached up and brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face and looked deep into her eyes. "Yes," he agreed with her unspoken words. "I know you do, too."

That was a quiet, but significant exchange between them. Tony couldn't hold himself back anymore. He pressed his lips to hers softly and Ziva returned the kiss. He licked at her bottom lip, asking for entrance, and she allowed it, again.

She enjoyed the taste of Tony and he enjoyed the taste that was uniquely Ziva. His tongue explored every inch of her mouth, while hers explored his. Her hands were now laced through his hair, locking his head in place, and his hands were pulling her closer to him. His hands never wandered or strayed from her back, but they continued to pull her in.

They broke apart too soon. And, Ziva found the courage to ask the major question that she knew needed to be asked, before this ended up to be another form of Paris.

"What happens when we go back to work, Tony?" she asked, still sitting too close to him.

"We'll be honest with Gibbs, Ziva," Tony said. "We'll tell him how we feel about each other and hope he doesn't fire us. But, I'm not losing you over a job. You are more important than NCIS and any job that anyone could offer me."

"Thank you, Tony," she whispered, in the same quiet and pleased tone that she had used with him in Paris.

He kissed her forehead. "Thank _you_, Ziva," he whispered back to her, feeling truly grateful for finally having discussed the significance of Paris and letting her know how he felt, although it was silent.


	7. Alone

**Chapter 7**

**Alone**

McGee sat down at the dockside restaurant and waited. He waited for what felt like forever, but it was really only ten minutes. He wasn't sure what to expect today, since Delilah had been so angry yesterday. All he knew now was that he had gotten a text message from her this morning saying that he needed to meet her there for lunch at one. It was now five after and he was getting a little impatient. He looked around the restaurant.

There was a pretty girl looking around the restaurant. She wad dark hair that was tinted with red and bright green eyes. She was wearing a green button down shirt that complimented her complexion well. She spotted McGee sitting there and made her way over to him.

"Hi, Tim," she said and sat down without smiling at him or anything. She must still be angry.

"Hi, Delilah," he said to her. "Glad to see you."

She didn't answer. She picked up her menu and started to read through the options for lunch. She picked something and waited for the waiter to come over to them. McGee ordered a bowl of clam chowder and she ordered a salad. It was business as usual. They had only been seeing each other for three weeks and they tried to do this a couple of times a week.

"Tim, do you plan on finding a new job now that you are unemployed?" she asked suddenly.

"I had not thought about it," he answered honestly. "Why?"

"Well, you need money, don't you?" she asked, obviously trying hard to keep her face casual.

"I have a lot saved," McGee said. "I've made a lot of money."

"On a government paycheck… I don't think so," she said laughing. "I have a friend who is a marine. The government employees really don't make that much money."

"I make enough," McGee said, not wanting to reveal to her yet that he was also an author. He had seen how well that had gone over with his coworkers and he was expecting the same kind of teasing from her, since her actions usually reminded him very much of the things Tony would say and do when he told her things like this.

"Well, my marine friend says she needs her computer fixed," Delilah said with a determined look on her face. "I told her I would talk to you about it. You could always do that on the side. You are good with computers."

"Sure," McGee said. "I can do that. But, I really don't want to go into business fixing computers. It's not really my thing."

"You are good at it, how is it not your thing?" she asked in utter disbelief.

But, he had to wait to answer until after the waiter put the food down in front of them. He took a bite of his soup. It was really good.

"I mean, it is not something that I enjoy doing," McGee said. "I really like investigating and solving crimes. That's why I worked at NCIS. I like to think I made a difference in someone's life."

"I'm sure you have. But, honestly, you must have broken the rules if some investigator was after you, right? Honestly, what did you do? What was he accusing you of?" Delilah asked harshly.

"I'm not sure exactly," McGee said. "He was mostly after Gibbs. But, Gibbs is responsible for what we do and from what I know, what he had were cases that involved Gibbs. But there were a lot of recent cases, so I am sure that it was mistakes we have made. I am human, Delilah, I still make mistakes, you know."

McGee was a little annoyed. This felt more like an interrogation than a conversation. Was she questioning his motives? Was she questioning him because she didn't trust him? Why was she questioning him at all? This was his job and she wasn't that big of a part of his life yet! What was up with her?

"Well, you should get another job," she snapped.

"I'll think about it," McGee said honestly, because it would be nice to have something to do, but he had only just quit yesterday so it was not the most important thing on his mind right then.

"No, Tim. Get another job. I'm not going to date someone who is eternally unemployed because they are too proud to do something that they are good at but don't enjoy doing. Don't you realize how selfish you're being right now? Do you care at all that you don't have an income at the moment? How long will you be unemployed anyway? You don't know. You don't know how long his secret mission is going to last! And you said yourself, it's not the first time he's run off from the job! Maybe he's done just that and left you all in the dark about it!" Delilah went off.

"He didn't," McGee said, trying to stay calm with her ranting at him.

"Well, we're done until you can find some job, because, like I said, I'm not going to date someone who is unemployed indefinitely," she said to him.

McGee sighed. He left some money on the table and got up and left before finishing his food. He drove back to his apartment and opened a bottle of beer. He was not usually one to drink his problems away, but it seemed like a good thing to do at the moment. He lost his job. He lost his girlfriend. He lost his boss. He lost his family. He felt like he lost his home. Was there someone that he knew that he could turn to? He couldn't call Abby because she didn't know what they had done. Who could he call?

He thought about it for a few minutes. Maybe he should call Tony? No. He wouldn't call Tony right now. Tony was probably asleep or hung over from last night, or with some random girl. After all, that was how Tony dealt with things. He drank until he passed out, and he dated a new woman each night. That was Tony and Tony was that predictable in how he coped with serious things.

McGee remembered when they thought that Ziva had died when the Democles had sank. He had drank himself to the point of no return during that summer, and at least he wasn't dating senselessly then. He had seen Tony at his worst during that time. He hoped that Tony was not at that point again. But, considering that it was only one thirty now, that meant that Tony was probably still asleep from his previous night of drinking.

Ziva had never been anyone he could turn to for help; at least not with serious things like this, that affected her, too. She had too much going on herself and he wasn't going to add his own problems to hers. She had lost her father, slept with some man in Israel, which had hurt Tony, been through a minor hell with Ray, been through literal hell in Somalia, been shipped back and forth between Washington DC and Israel so many times that he was surprised that her head wasn't still spinning, and then there was the whole deal with Rivkin and Tony killing him. Not to mention that she had come into NCIS at a bad time. She replaced Kate, who was important to them all, and had joined shortly after losing her own brother, who had killed Kate, but he knew that it was still her brother, and the loss and truth probably had hurt her. Ziva didn't need his problems piled up on top of her own.

McGee continued to drink. He was certain that he couldn't bother either of them that day. He knew that they needed the time and the space to adjust to everything that had changed in the past twenty four hours and then he would need to give Abby, Ducky, and Palmer longer to adjust to the changes. They didn't even know that they had resigned yet and that they had to adjust to anything at all. He honestly felt bad that they didn't know. They were a part of the family and were expecting to go to work on Monday and see Tony, Ziva, and McGee in the morning. That would be a nasty shock and they hadn't talked about whether to let the others know or not. And, McGee being the Junior Field Agent was not going to take responsibility to tell them. He would let Tony decide, since he was the Senior Field Agent.

All in all, McGee was glad that Delilah had shown her true colors this early in the relationship. He had already seen that she was sensitive already, but he had not known just how sensitive she was. She knew very little about him and she couldn't possibly judge whether he had enough money to support himself or not. She was being selfish in this, but he didn't care. He had to do what he had to do for Gibbs, for his family. McGee downed the rest of the beer and went to his refrigerator to grab another one. It was going to be a long, lonely, and drunk night.

* * *

A/N – I did not forget about McGee. He is still going through this, too, although he has no idea how Tony and Ziva are handling this. Don't hate me for breaking up Delilah and McGee. I didn't react too well to hearing that they were together. I don't like the mystery woman and we have not even met her yet in reality. Something felt off about her, so I wanted to fix it in this story in the nicest way possible, without hurting either McGee or her too much. Please let me know what you think.


	8. More Questions than Answers

A/N – I'm going a little AU here and adding a character that is never involved with the show, although we don't get to meet her quite yet; we only learn about her. But, we also get to see some of Gibbs in this chapter, as well as A.J. Chegwidden and Vance.

Disclaimer – I do not own NCIS or the characters. Only the mystery girl you will meet later.

**Chapter 8**

**More Questions than Answers**

"Director Vance?" the secretary asked him, peeking into his office. "The people you requested are in the conference room now."

"Thank you," he said and sighed deeply.

This meeting was very important. He knew that he needed to have this meeting in order to make it more than clear to Parsons that the team was taking responsibility for their actions and that they did these things without the approval of Gibbs, although Gibbs had signed the reports. He had called them all in on a Saturday evening to make it clear, since neither Parsons nor Gibbs knew what was going on.

He left his office and entered the conference room. In front of him was A.J. Chegwidden, Gibbs, and Parsons. They were standing and staring at each other. Vance was not happy about this meeting but knew how necessary it was.

Gibbs was furious. He had been called in on a Saturday night and had to get things together for this mission that he was supposed to go away for in a month or so, if everything went according to plan. He had just been there yesterday, what more was there to say? He needed to get home and get to work on this information so that he knew what he was supposed to be doing.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Vance said and sat down at the table. "Please, sit down."

They all sat down and stared at Vance. The tension in the room was sharp enough to cut through the air now. There was only anger to be felt and seen in that room at that moment.

"Why are we here, Director Vance?" Parsons asked. "You know what I am going to do and nothing is going to stop me once he is done with this ridiculous mission. In the meantime, I will make it perfectly clear that I will go after his team, now that he is not here to protect them."

"We are all here because there has been a change in the circumstances," Vance said, looking directly at Parsons, but he could feel the gaze of Gibbs and A.J. on him as well, since they didn't know this information either. What had changed in one stinking day? "At least according to the information that you have given me. The team, meaning Special Agents Anthony DiNozzo, Ziva David, and Timothy McGee have taken full responsibility for their actions and have turned in their guns and badges. They are no longer employed here. So, your job is done."

"They did what, exactly? And when?" Gibbs asked.

His team resigned to get Parsons of his back. Honestly, he was a little grateful, but at the same time he was pissed off with them. If the mission went as it was supposed to it would only take the summer. However, it was a real possibility that it would take longer. Were they going to wait around forever for him to be done? Why had they done something so stupid? What happened when the mission was over and they had all settled into another job? Would he be able to get his team back?

"They came to me yesterday evening, Gibbs," Vance said, turning to face him. "Honestly, I was expecting it. I knew they would do it. It was their job to take responsibility and I am proud of each of them for doing just that."

Gibbs could tell that Vance wasn't saying the parts he didn't want Parsons to hear. Vance knew that the team had really done it to protect Gibbs while he was on his mission and that they would all face Parsons together when the mission was over as a family. Gibbs felt a little touched by this as he read it in the Director's eyes. He loved his family and wished he could thank each of them, as well as head-slap each of them.

"Well, you are lacking some information, Director Vance," Parsons said, smiling again.

"Oh, what the hell is it now?" A.J. asked.

"Well, you see, there is new information that has come to light for me. It seems that Special Agent Gibbs has been very busy these last few years," Parsons said pulling a folder out of his briefcase and holding it to his chest. "I have gotten a hold of a copy of a file that shows that Gibbs is going behind everyone's backs, yet again."

He placed a manila folder on the table. The tap on the folder read "Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs; 2006-Present; Active" in neat handwriting. It was a military file. He smiled widely and the other two looked at Gibbs questioningly. But, Gibbs was smiling at Parsons. That was not his file. There would be another set of dates on there if it was.

"And, the best part is, is that most of it is blacked out, meaning that these are all covered up missions and assignments, that he has been recently involved in," Parsons said, his smile growing at the end of his statement.

"First of all, Parsons, I am not active duty and I have already retired from my days as a Marine. Second of all, I believe I am too old to be active duty. Third, they would be missing a huge chunk of my life if they thought these were the only years I served. I did serve in the Gulf War if you remember; and don't deny that you know that, because I'm sure you've done your homework thoroughly and know what I have done with my whole life. How do we know you haven't made up this file?"

"I haven't, and it is signed by the current Commandant of the Marine Corps. He is also under investigation, though he doesn't know it yet," Parsons said, his smile growing wider again. "I am still planning on bringing charges against Anthony DiNozzo and Ziva David…."

"It is pronounced Dah-veed," Gibbs corrected.

"As well as you Gibbs, and whoever it is that was your partner on these assignments, whoever First Sergeant David is."

"I have not been on any missions recently. Have you even read this file?" Gibbs asked curiously and picked up the file and read it. A.J. read over his shoulder.

**Name: ****············· Gibbs**** Rank: ****Gunnery Sergeant**** Birthday: ****09/24/1988**** Sex: ****Female**** Branch: ****Marine**** Specialty: ****Special Operations, Intelligence Operations, Sniper, Black Ops, Classified Missions**** Home Address: ****·················, Bethesda, MD ·····**** Home Phone #: ****(301) ········**** Cell Phone #: ****(301) ········**** Current Location: ****Assignment in ·············**

**Mother: ················ Gibbs, deceased 02/28/1991**

**Father: ············ Gibbs, NCIS Special Agent**

**Siblings: ············· Gibbs, deceased 02/28/1991**

**Other Associated People: ·····················, NCIS Special Agent; ·········, ··················, deceased 01/10/2013; ············, missing; ··········, NCIS Special Agent; ···········, Mossad, deceased 09/23/2005; ···········, deceased 06/12/2003; ····· David, First Sergeant, Marine Corps**

**Need-to-Know Medical History: Hypoglycemia; Anemia; Broken arm in car accident in ·············· in 1991; Broken shin bone in ······ in 1998; Held hostage in ··········· in ······· in 2009; Broken collar bone in ······· in 2010**

"Parsons, you've got the wrong Gibbs," Gibbs said with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. "I am not a female and I am not 24 years old. I think you need to read what you are handing me before you hand it to me and accuse me of things. I don't even care what this girl's missions were, as half of them are probably blacked out, like the rest of the information in her file."

Was it even possible that she was alive? Why had he not heard anything about her until now if that was the case? What had happened to her after the crash? Gibbs tried to fight the questions that he had in his mind. This girl had been in a car accident in 1991, but there were many car accidents in 1991, he was sure of it. Her history seemed to hold a lot of major injuries for her and one of them wasn't even specific as to what the injuries were.

"Then, who the hell am I looking for? What the hell kind of cover-up is this? You are Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs! Do I need to take down the whole government to get this girl, or you?" Parsons shouted.

"I think there is a misunderstanding here, Parsons, simple as that," A.J. said. "The file clearly states that this is a young girl and that her mother and sibling are dead. Her father is NCIS and two other people in her life are NCIS and one is Mossad. I doubt Gibbs was held captive in 2009, as well."

"I will figure this out, I assure you," Parsons said. "I will find the truth and if this girl really does exist then I will take her down as well."

Gibbs was sure that this girl really did exist and he wished he had a way of knowing how to contact her and warn her about Parsons. The least he could do was contact the Commandant of the Marine Corps as he used to be Gibbs's commanding officer.

"Then, that is all," Vance said. "You can't bring up charges on those that are not with us anymore, because we have nothing to do with them, and they have taken their own responsibility. Gibbs is off the hook. Leave him and us alone now."

Parsons stormed out of the room. Gibbs still had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach as he glanced back down that file of this girl. Was she alive? Was she right there, in Bethesda, or perhaps somewhere else on assignment? A.J. was looking at him strangely and so was Vance.

"Leon, do you mind if I keep this file?" Gibbs asked, holding up the file in front of him. "I want to know what I can about the person that Parsons is accusing me of being."

Vance gave him a hard look and didn't mention what was on his mind. He just sighed and nodded.

"Sure thing, Jethro," Vance said. "Go on and get to work on whatever you are doing."

As he stood up, A.J. took his arm. "I think we need to talk about this, Jethro," he said gently. Gibbs only nodded as he left the room with the file in his hands, still feeling rather uneasy, but resolved that this was the girl he thought it was.

* * *

A/N - I had a lot of fun confusing Parsons! I am away for the weekend. I will update again on Monday. Thank you all for reading. Let me know what you think of the mystery girl so far!


	9. It's a Date

A/N – I've been away for a few days, so let's have a quick recap. Tony, McGee, and Ziva quit their jobs. Ziva turned to Tony and they had a few significant conversations already, in which Ziva opened up about a few things. Tony and Ziva are admitting that they have feelings for each other and they both think that now is the perfect time to test that. McGee is dealing with this alone and he and the lovely Delilah have broken up. We have also seen Gibbs in the picture as well. He had a meeting with Vance, his lawyer, and Parsons. Parsons is overly confused about "Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs", who is not the Gibbs we all know and love, but some mystery girl that we haven't met.

So, here is the newest chapter. Thank you for the reviews so far and I promise questions will get answered in time.

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or the characters. I own the mystery "Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs" and that is it.

**Chapter 9**

**It's a Date**

Ziva heard the knock on her apartment door. She had gone home to get ready. They were going on a dinner date, her and Tony. Finally! She was wearing the same black dress that she wore in Berlin, with light makeup on, and wearing black heels that complimented the dress wonderfully. She walked over to the door and opened it.

Tony was wearing dress pants and a white button down shirt. He looked amazing! His hair was combed and out of his face. She smiled at the sight of him and couldn't wait to go out to dinner with him.

Tony's jaw dropped as Ziva opened the door. She looked as perfect as she had in Berlin, but this time the date was their own, and not an assignment that would later be a cause for concern by an investigator that was trying to destroy the team. He stood there for a couple of minutes gaping at her and then closed his mouth.

"See something you like, Tony?" she asked playfully with a smile on her face.

"Mmm," he said slowly, mocking a thoughtful expression. "I _think_ so," he teased, also smiling at her.

They shared another warm smile and Tony offered her his arm. Then, he leaned in close to her and kissed her on the cheek very gently and stayed there a moment before leaning a little closer to her to whisper in her ear.

"You look gorgeous, ninja," he whispered into her ear softly and his hot breath sent shivers down her spine.

Her eyes shone with delight as he pulled away and she could feel a slight blush on her cheeks from the compliment. She was not used to receiving compliments from men she dated. She didn't ever want to get used to his compliments, because she was amazed that they were doing this at all, considering they would probably go back to being partners at NCIS after Gibbs was done with his mission. She wondered if one of them would get reassigned or if Gibbs would allow the relationship at all. She was ready to quit her job and find a new one if that was the case.

"Let's go, handsome," she said softly and smiled at him as she closed her door and they walked toward the elevator that led them to the parking garage.

* * *

They arrived at the restaurant and Tony gave the name on the reservation. The hostess was a beautiful, young blonde, that a few years ago Tony would have gone after without a second thought. But, Ziva noticed that his eyes hardly ever left her. Tony was so wrapped up in Ziva that he didn't notice this pretty girl that was trying to flirt with him.

They waited only a moment as the hostess grabbed some menus, making sure to bend down so that Tony would have a clear view of her butt if he was not too busy watching Ziva whose eyes widened at her move. She stood up again with a smile plastered on her face, and looking straight at Tony.

"DiNozzo," the hostess called and smiled at him as his eyes met hers for a second. "Right this way."

Her smile told Tony that she was really trying to catch his attention and he put an arm around Ziva, pulling her closer to him. He nearly laughed when the hostess frowned at him in disappointment. She was jealous of his beautiful Israeli and he was going to show the world that she was now his. It was as simple as that in his mind. And, she seemed to be enjoying being the center of his attention, as her eyes were glued to him and a smile glued to her face.

They were seated and hardly spent any time looking at their menus before the waiter came over to their table. A gorgeous man, Tony thought, that was now trying to catch Ziva's attention.

He had started off by smiling at her in what Tony would consider the beginnings of a similar charm to what he often referred to as the "DiNozzo charm."

"What could I get you two to eat this evening?" he asked, his eyes fixed on Ziva, scanning up and down her body in a way that clearly violated her privacy.

"I'll have the chicken parmesan, please," Ziva said, looking at Tony and smiling at him.

Ziva was enjoying toying with the waiter a little. She could tell that he was jealous that she was definitely with this other man and he was trying hard to catch her attention without attracting too much attention to himself in the process. He had obviously done this before.

"Same," Tony ordered and smiled at Ziva.

The waiter left, looking a little distraught for not getting any response out of Ziva to his charm. She was attractive and he knew that he was too, that was obvious in the way that he carried himself. Ziva, however, only had eyes for Tony tonight and when she looked at him, her eyes were lit up with tiny little fires that made them sparkle with happiness that had been absent for most of her life.

Tony and Ziva were sitting silently at the table and staring at one another the whole time they waited for their food. They had never needed to talk very much in order to communicate with each other. Their eyes said everything that their mouths wouldn't say and this was no different from their usual. When their food did come, they ate it in silence and drank their wine slowly. Tony was finished eating before Ziva was and he waited patiently for her to finish, watching her the entire time as she finished. When she was finished, Tony knew what to do next.

"Care for a dance, Ziva?" he asked as he stood up and held his hand out to her. Ziva was a little taken aback by his request but agreed. As Tony led her onto the dance floor he whispered to her, "We never did get to finish the one from Berlin."

She smiled at him, remembering exactly what she remembered while she was dancing with him in Berlin. "You're right," she agreed, not just with Tony's words that she heard now, but with her father's words from so long ago; Tony was definitely the man who deserved her love and she was going to dance with him again. "I wish there had been no mission then; that would have made that day absolutely perfect."

Tony smiled at Ziva, letting her know that he shared that same feeling, although not wanting to actually voice it, since they had achieved something amazing that evening. They had caught Yaniv Bodnar, who was not known to be a criminal but was caught helping his brother Ilan escape from the radar of international investigations.

They started to twirl around, staring deep into each other's eyes as the music played slowly. They were completely lost in each other's eyes as they moved to the music and held onto each other tightly. This was the perfect dance and a great ending to the dance that they had started in Berlin several weeks ago. When the song was done they stopped moving but they were still standing in the middle of the dance floor, captured by each other's eyes.

Ziva looked into Tony's eyes and he into hers. This was a great form of communication for each of them, and they understood each other very well because of the other's eyes. They could each see the feelings that had long laid hidden within each other as they looked now and let their walls down for the other to look in. Tony bent down slowly and pressed his lips firmly to hers and then pulled back, only a moment later, aware that half the restaurant were watching them.

"Let's pay and get out of here," he whispered in her ear, his voice a little lower than it normally was.

Ziva's eyes lit up with excitement at the desire that written in his eyes; she could feel that same desire bubbling up inside her, too. She smiled up at him and only nodded, fearful that her voice would reveal just how vulnerable she was and how much she was at his mercy right now and forever. She didn't mind that her eyes gave that away, but her voice was always her weakness when it came to Tony and what they each wanted with each other.

They made their way back to the table and paid for their food. Tony led her toward the car and started the engine, while taking her hand in his own. The ride back to his apartment was silent, but very comfortable and filled with anticipation. When they got out, Ziva went first up the stairs to his apartment, not wanting to take the elevator, because she could not handle being in an enclosed space with him and the temptation to stop the elevator of his apartment. What if a handicapped person had to get down. He unlocked the door and let them inside.

As soon as the door was closed, Tony pushed her slowly back into it and pressed his lips to hers once more. They spent a moment exploring each other's mouths again and then something changed as their kiss deepened; something had erupted deep within each of them. The desire they held for each other for eight years was at its peak at this very moment. Ziva wrapped her arms around Tony and held him close to her as he pressed into her and held her firmly against the door and kissed her more passionately and deeper than before. His hands found her hips and then slowly rose up her sides, resting at the base of her bra.

Tony's mouth found Ziva's neck and she gasped in delight at the sensation that was filling her and the heat that she could feel between them now. She had never imagined that something so wonderful and intensely powerful could exist before. Kissing Tony was like nothing else in the world, and her desire was driven even further and she moved her hands to the front of his shirt and his buttons.

"Ziva, are you sure?" he asked quietly to her, pulling away just a little bit and looking into her eyes.

She nodded. "Never been so sure in all my life," she whispered just before his lips captured hers again.

* * *

Ziva could feel the warmth of the morning sun on her back, and she could feel the warmth of Tony's bare chest under her cheek. She smiled into his chest as she snuggled further into him and squinted her eyes shut tight. She felt his arms tighten around her. She smiled even more and then opened her eyes and looked up at him. He was smiling and his eyes were a very light green today, telling her how happy he was.

She pressed her lips to his and started to kiss him deeply. His hands held her tight against him and he deepened the kiss a little more. But a phone started to buzz. Ziva looked up. Their phones were right next to each other and she didn't know whose was whose. She didn't care. She really didn't want to answer, but knew that they would not be called into work, so she allowed her curiosity to get the better of her.

She picked up the buzzing phone and noticed that it was Abby's lab calling one of them. She sighed heavily and showed Tony. He smiled and nodded to her. Abby must have gotten the news that they were not working their anymore. It was already ten in the morning. Ziva had never slept so late in all her life, but she had been quite busy last night.

She never moved from Tony as she made to answer the phone. She pushed the talk button and held the phone to her ear.

"David," she said into it.


	10. Busted

A/N – So, we get to hear what the phone call from Abby is all about. This ought to be interesting. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or the characters.

**Chapter 10**

**Busted**

"David," Ziva answered into the phone, still laying half on top of Tony and playing with his chest hair with her hand as she stared into his eyes.

"Ziva?" Abby's voice said through the phone, her tone curious and a little shocked, which made Ziva realize something. "I... um… hold on… wait, a second! I know I called Tony's phone! Wait! Wait! Wait! Are you saying that… no! That's impossible! I refuse to believe it! You didn't... did you? No! Don't answer that question! Impossible!"

Ziva looked at Tony, feeling her cheeks going red and heating up with the blood that was pooling into them. How could she have been so stupid as to answer Tony's phone? That was so careless of her not to check to see whose phone it was! But, it was done and it was too late, because Abby knew who she had called and now Ziva thought to have a little fun with Abby about it. Ziva was in a very good mood this morning, after all.

"Abby, what are you going on about?" Ziva asked as though she had no idea what Abby was rambling on about, though she knew that it wasn't going to work this time. Ziva had a smirk on her face at her own mistake and toying with Abby now.

"You answered Tony's phone!" Abby accused, sounding more than certain of her accusation. She was right, of course. Ziva knew that Abby did not make mistakes in who she was calling, and knew that with their phones next to each other on the nightstand it was a definite probability that she would be the wrong person on the phone.

Tony was giving Ziva a very curious look, as Ziva was now in silent fits of laughter at whatever was going on in her phone. Ziva was having a hard time controlling her laughter at the harshness of Abby's voice and she had to respond sooner or later before Abby accused her of more. Of course, more had already happened, but Ziva would never answer her phone in the middle of something more.

"Apparently I answered your phone, Tony," Ziva said, winking at him with a broad smile still on her face.

"You mean he's there with you now?" Abby asked, sounding shocked, surprised, and a little confused. "Ziva, what is going on?"

Tony laughed at Ziva's words, and pulled Ziva tightly to him suddenly, laughing at what he had just learned. This made Ziva let out a small scream in surprise. She laughed along with him, loud enough that she knew Abby could hear them. She pressed her lips to Tony's and realized that she was keeping Abby waiting and felt her face flush with color again. She pressed the speaker phone button so they could both talk to Abby.

"Abby, Tony and I are both here, yes. You can talk to both of us and it will save you a phone call," Ziva said, smiling down at Tony and kissing him one more time, unable to resist. "I assume you have some questions for us and that is why you are calling this morning."

"Yes! I have some questions. Well, actually, I have quite a lot of questions! I have more questions now than I had before you answered Tony's phone. More questions than I ever thought I would have at any given moment in time in my life. And the most pressing question is, what the hell are you doing answering Tony's phone?"

"Hey Abs, she picked my phone up by mistake, that's all," Tony said in amusement and chuckled again, realizing that they should not put identical phones next to the other's on the nightstand since they had so many mutual contacts in their phone. They both saw where that could cause problems in the future.

"And, why are you two together at ten o'clock on the morning? I mean, normally, on a day off, Tony would be asleep, and Ziva, you would be running or doing yoga or something like that, right? Why are you two together this morning?" Abby asked in a scandalous tone, still ranting on at a million miles an hour like she always did.

"We are about to get some breakfast," Ziva answered simply, which was not a total lie; they would get food at some point today.

"You haven't eaten, Ziva? Come on, you wake up at like five every single morning, whether you have to work or not! What made you sleep so late? Why haven't you eaten yet?" Abby asked louder than before, feeling confused and suspicious at the same time.

"I think, Abigail, that we should not _make_ Tony and Ziva answer that question or anymore about their personal decisions," Ducky's voice said through the phone. "After all, what they do with their time off is their decision and really not our business. I think you should get to the point of your call now."

Ziva felt her face flush again. Her cheeks felt very hot now. She knew that Ducky was good with psychology and that he had used it with interrogations and profiling before. He was a keen observer. He had observed many things about Ziva in the past and had even helped her cope with some of the things that she had never been prepared to deal with before. Ducky would surely see exactly what was going on with the situation that he was not directly witnessing but apparently calling into.

Tony reached up and brushed the color on her cheeks, smiling at her and causing her cheeks to flush a little deeper red. He loved it when she blushed; he thought it was cute, not that he had ever thought anyone would associate cute with an ex-Mossad assassin who also was a ninja. The redness made him intrigued as to what she was thinking usually, but at the same time he could see mostly what that was, especially in this situation as they lay together naked, not just talking to Abby on the phone, but apparently Ducky as well. That was enough to turn his cheeks red and make Ziva smile at him and wink.

"Hello, Ducky," Tony and Ziva said at the same time.

This caused a new outburst of laughter to erupt from each them. They laughed hard and loud at their mutual words. They were in very good moods this morning and they were sure that both of the people on the other end of the line were definitely reading into what they could hear through the phone.

"Hello to the both of you and a very good morning, it seems," Ducky said as politely as ever; his classiness was well-known among the NCIS family and made them all feel a little more comfortable right now. "I want you to know that this minor invasion of privacy was all Abigail's idea, as I was just up here to comfort the poor young lady. I apologize if we interrupted anything important, but we have just received some ill news from the Director."

"You did not interrupt anything," Ziva assured the gentle and kind doctor with a smile on her face; he had been close, but not quite there. "What news did you receive this morning?"

Again, Ziva was acting as though she knew nothing. She knew, however, exactly what news they had heard that morning. Today was Monday and they were not at work. It was ten o'clock in the morning, well a little after now, and they were at home, together, and being called by people at NCIS. Obviously they had heard the news that the three of them resigned on Friday evening.

"That you three quit!" Abby said in a sudden outburst that was filled with anger, outrage, and shock; her voice was loud and accusing and hurt, which made both Ziva and Tony flinch at the same time and remember the reality of the situation that had caused them to be together at his apartment at ten on a Monday morning. "What the hell were you three thinking? Why would you quit your jobs here? You know that I can't work here without my family… that is Gibbs, you two, and McGee, and of course Ducky and Palmer… I mean I knew that Gibbs was going away again… I just thought that we would be the same as always, though. I mean, when he was gone last time the three of you stayed… and now all of you are gone… It was a nightmare the last time you three weren't here! And there is no way that Director Vance is going to be able to find four good agents that I can stand, let alone like! What are we supposed to do now? I know that Parsons…."

"Abby," Ziva said.

"Parsons is investigating everyone of us… and everything that we've ever done in association with NCIS, and probably things that we have done outside of NCIS, too, knowing Parsons as well as we have learned him in the past week… and that is stressful… like super stressful… and I know that it isn't easy to deal with and all; not easy at all, that is… but seriously! Are the three of you afraid? Are you afraid of facing one stupid investigator? Are you afraid that one person can break us apart? I guess he already did that apparently since the three of you…."

"Abby," Tony said to her a little louder.

"You know he's not going to go away just because you quit, right? I just know he won't! You know that he will find a way to investigate all of this without you, right? He'll still get to us! You can't run from someone like him! Do you even know what he has one you, or are you running from something he'll never find? You are all going to have to face him at some point if you ever plan on coming back to work here. You are going to…."

"Abby!" both Tony and Ziva shouted into the phone.

It was dead silent for a couple of seconds. They could both picture the shocked look on Abby's face, as well as Ducky's, as they waited for her to acknowledge the fact that they just shut her up rather rudely in the middle of a rant. They waited only a moment before she quietly spoke again.

"What?" she said quietly, although it sounded impatient and frustrated at her friends and what they had done without telling anyone else in their little family about it.

"Abby, we quit so that Parsons would get off Gibbs while he goes on this mission," Ziva said. "We did not permanently quit and we will be back, I promise."

"We are biding our time until Gibbs is done with whatever he's up to now," Tony continued on. "That's all. Parsons had things on us, big things, and they are things that need to be answered for. We understand that and aren't afraid to face them."

"We are taking responsibility for our actions now and that is all," Ziva went on. "When Gibbs is back we will all come back and face Parsons together, as a family, like we should."

"Oh," Abby said, unable to find any words to say to this act that they did for the whole family and not just themselves or Gibbs.

"We are sorry that we didn't share this with you, we didn't exactly have any notice that we were going to do this," Tony insisted. "It was sudden and there was no time to rethink it or talk to the rest of you about it."

"Tony had a campfire, Abby! It was the most important campfire he has ever had for us," Ziva explained. "And, yes, it was my suggestion that we resign for now, but it was the only one that made any sense at all. I am really sorry that we did not find a way to share it with you before it happened."

"It's all right," Abby said, sounding back to her usual self. "You do what you have to for family. The unspoken rule, right?"

"Exactly," they both said at the same time and this time Abby laughed at how synchronized they were thinking now.

"McGee isn't by chance with you guys is he?" Abby asked, sounding suddenly worried, instead of angry or happy like she usually was. It was very unlike Abby to worry aloud to someone that she wasn't facing at that moment; she was usually inclined to hide those things over the phone, but not on a face-to-face basis. "He hasn't answered his phone yet this morning. I tried him a few times before I tried you, Tony, and got you, Ziva, instead."

"Are you ever going to let that go, Abby?" Tony asked, chuckling at her again.

"Not a chance," she said in a threatening tone on the other end of the phone, though both Tony and Ziva knew that she was smiling as she said this.

"McGee is not answering?" Ziva asked confused, going back to the subject that Abby was going on about now.

"No," Abby said. "I'm really worried about him!"

"McGee always answers," Tony said, thinking about it harder than he needed to and trying to remember a single time that McGee did not answer his phone.

"Well, apparently not. I tried him five times already this morning! I figured I would try him first. You know, Ziva, you would be on your run like always, and Tony, you would be asleep, like always. But, Tim… he's always the first to be available by phone," Abby went on. "That is just how things have always worked around here! I don't like all this sudden change, it's making my head spin!"

"Perhaps he is sleeping in," Ziva suggested, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Tony, thinking that was not something that McGee woudl normally do when he was so used to getting up for work at a certain time everyday.

"McGee is not the type to sleep in," Tony said, also narrowing his eyes at Ziva's words.

"Neither am I, Tony," Ziva said, with a devious smile on her face. "But, you see how well that has worked for me today. It'll be too warm now for my morning run, you know."

Tony smiled at Ziva. "You'll have to find another way to get cardio in, I guess," Tony suggested quietly and chuckled.

"You mean to say that you woke up late, Ziva?" Abby asked. "You mean to say that you missed your run and you're at Tony's… or is Tony at your place? Well, I mean to say that you are some place together?"

"It is not important, Abby," Ziva said. "But, perhaps McGee slept in or is busy with Delilah."

"Delilah would be at work," Abby said, sounding a little frustrated, and remembering that "the lovely Delilah" also worked for a government agency. "So, McGee couldn't possibly be with her now. I'm just worried."

"Try him later, Abs," Tony said gently, hoping that he could reassure her with his words. "If he doesn't answer at that time, give us another call. We'll find him, I promise."

"Why can't I go find him?" Abby asked into the phone, sounding offended as though Tony had insulted her ability to track someone down and find them.

"Because, you have a job to do today, Abby," Ziva insisted, also using a gentle voice to remind her friend that she was at work now and making a personal phone call. "You have to stay at work and not cause any trouble, especially if you think that Parsons is still a factor within NCIS; we don't want him coming down on you, too, because then you would be out of a job, too."

"All right," Abby said sounding resigned. "Can we all get together and have dinner or drinks or something this evening? I can let you three plan it out for us? Is that alright with you, Ducky, Palmer?"

"Yes," the other two answered automatically, and almost in the same synchronization that Tony and Ziva had used, although they were a little off perfect timing.

"We will get right on that, Abby," Ziva said. "We will have dinner somewhere. I promise. And don't worry about McGee. I'm sure it's nothing at all to be worried about."

"Thanks, guys," she said quietly. "I'll see you tonight!"


	11. Finding Comfort

**Chapter 11**

**Finding Comfort**

McGee had not left his apartment much since Saturday. He had gone and bought more beer and even some bourbon, missing the days when he had been able to turn to Gibbs if he needed to talk or vent or just drink. It was Monday today and he was feeling the full effects of what they had done on Friday now that he was not at work.

Abby had already tried to call him several times and had apparently given up. What was he supposed to say to her? That they had disappointed her after all and that they hadn't even told her what they were doing? That was the wrong thing to tell Abby. He really hoped that she had fully given up and not bothered Tony or Ziva either, after all they all needed some space to deal with this alone, right?

McGee made himself a sandwich and pulled a beer out of the refrigerator. It was only noon, but hell, why not start drinking now? This would be a new record for him. Usually, if he was going to drink at all, he waited until after dinner time, but this time it didn't matter. He was alone and he knew he was alone.

His phone began buzzing on the kitchen counter where he had left it several days ago, still attached to the charger cord, that he had forgotten he had hooked it up to. It was Abby again. What did she want so badly to talk to him about?

He sighed and pulled the cord out of the phone and picked it up.

"What?" he said angrily into the phone.

"Oh, someone is in a bad mood today," Abby observed on the other end of the phone, sounding almost as tense as McGee felt. "I was just making sure you were okay. You didn't answer my calls earlier this morning and I was worried about you. Wait! Did I interrupt something with you and the girl?"

Abby refused to call her by her name. Delilah was another reason for her to be bitter. She didn't know why, but she was actually jealous of her. Her and McGee had had a little thing a long time ago and Abby still got very jealous when he had a new girl in his life. By little thing, she meant one night and one night only. She nearly sighed at her memory and tried to push it from her mind, because it seemed like it was always on her mind.

"No, Abby, you didn't," McGee said, feeling relieved once again that he had found out how demanding and emotional she was so early in the relationship. "I was just… um… about to drink a beer and you interrupted me opening it."

"Drinking at noon, McGee?" Abby asked, sounding concerned again, and a little amused by this. "You are not the type to drink so early in the day. Isn't that more of DiNozzo's style?"

"I guess so," McGee said, shrugging his shoulders and rolling his eyes. Why was she comparing him to Tony right now? Well, perhaps it was because he was brooding like Tony usually did when things went south. "Why not take a page out of his book?"

McGee almost laughed. He was definitely pulling a Tony move right now and it would be even better if Tony was doing what McGee would normally be doing and seeking comfort in a trusted friend at the moment. That is what McGee should have done, instead of brooding, and he knew it. He should have called Tony or Ziva or Abby. He knew it. He already felt better having contact with Abby now, even though he had been so worried to talk to her earlier. Maybe he would go see Tony or Ziva later.

"I can comfortably say that is _not_ what Tony is doing right now," Abby said, smirking to herself at the memory of the confusing phone call that still needed a ton of answers. "I talked to him and Ziva this morning already. I know what you did. I know why you did it. I understand the reasoning behind it. You do what you have to for family. Now, I am just checking on you to see if you are okay, and apparently you are not if you are drinking at noon and alone…. Well, we are trying to plan a little get together with me, Ducky, Palmer, Ziva, Tony, and you tonight if you are interested. Then we can talk like old times, okay?"

"That actually sounds really great right now, Abby!" McGee said, his spirits suddenly lifting at the prospect of seeing everyone together again. _Everyone except Gibbs,_ he thought to himself.

"Good, because you were the only one that we didn't know would be able to make it or not," Abby said. "You know, Delilah?"

"Oh, that ended Saturday," McGee said, shrugging his shoulders even though he knew that she couldn't see it.

"What?" Abby asked in an outrage, because she knew that McGee had not ended things and she really didn't want to see him hurt. She had just been thinking how jealous she was and now she found out that it was over. That was a wasted effort on jealousy. Abby was a little too happy with the news, but wanted to sound sympathetic and concerned, as a friend. That was what her and McGee were, they were friends. "What do you mean that ended Saturday? What happened? I thought you and her were happy and everything? You need to tell me everything!"

"She called it off with me, said that I needed a job and she wasn't going to date someone who was unemployed indefinitely," McGee said with another shrug, smirking at the new wave of relief that washed over him. Not everything about this was bad. "Listen, it's not really a big deal. It's not like we were serious yet. I'd only been with her for three weeks and we've been working difficult cases for most of that time, which is another thing she really didn't understand but was able to work around."

"Well, McGee, if she can't understand you and your job then she is not good enough for you," Abby said firmly, smiling to herself at Delilah's flaws. Abby certainly understood a busy work schedule, because there were many times that she was called in the middle of the night or in the middle of doing other things that she really wanted to do, to help with a case instead.

McGee smiled. He knew he could count on Abby to cheer him up. She was good at that sort of thing with everyone…. Everyone except Ziva and Tony because the only two that could read each other well enough in that way were Tony and Ziva. McGee wondered how they were doing. He remembered that Abby had mentioned them a little bit ago and he wanted to know.

"Hey, Abby?" he asked, almost feeling nervous, as though he was invading their privacy.

"Yea, Tim?"

"How are they? Tony and Ziva, I mean? I mean, Tony depended on that job, even if he never took it seriously outwardly, he always loved that job and did really take it seriously deep down. And Ziva, that was her family and her whole life here in America! She's got to be a wreck now!" McGee went on thinking about how he thought his friends were handling this situation. "And, didn't you say that I am handling it how Tony should be handling it and he's not handling it that way? What did you mean by that?"

"Oh!" Abby said suddenly sounding excited, but then she controlled herself and decided to torture McGee and not tell him what she thought she had learned earlier that morning. "Well, I guess they are handling it well. I didn't really ask them, but Tony didn't sound hung over and Ziva sounded normal, well as normal as Ziva always sounds, I guess. They just sounded like themselves. But you, you sound depressed!"

"It just hit me, Abs," he said softly. "It just hit me now… today."

"I'm so sorry, Tim!" she said sadly, knowing what he meant. She had just returned from the squad room where their desks were as empty as ever. There was no more MCRT as of right now. "I will see you tonight. And you will also see Tony and Ziva and Ducky and Palmer. And you need to call Tony and Ziva and see if the three of you can get this all worked out. Ziva said that she would arrange a dinner somewhere. I hope its something good, because I think we all need a little comfort food with all that has happened since Thursday!"

"I agree, Abby," McGee said. "I will go to Tony's…. I'm sure that he'll want the company anyway, unless he's back to dating a new woman each night, in which case I won't be welcome there. But, he'll need a friend I'm sure…."

"Yea, sure, McGee," Abby said, sounding as though she were trying to contain laughter. "I don't think he's gone back to dating a _new_ woman each night… but, that is just a guess, and I have no evidence to support that theory. It's just a gut feeling, as Gibbs would say!"

McGee laughed. He liked it when Abby imitated Gibbs to cheer him up. It always made him laugh the way that she tried to get his deep voice and tone just right. He really did miss his boss and was really grateful that Abby had called and was in a good enough mood to cheer him up. He suspected that this morning she was not in such a cheerful mood.

"Alright, Abby! Well, I will let you get back to work and I will just eat before I go find Tony and try to figure out if he knows what Ziva is planning," McGee said. "She would tell him first, and I'm sure you already told them that you couldn't get a hold of me this morning, since I had five missed calls from you very early."

"Sorry about that," she said. "I was just worried. I'll see you tonight, Tim!"

"Yes, see you tonight."

They hung up the phone and McGee suddenly didn't want his beer anymore. He put it back into the refrigerator and took his sandwich to the living room and began to eat it while he thought.

He was going to see his family tonight. They were his very best friends and the only people in the world that he knew for sure that he could rely on always. He didn't know why he had been so stupid to not call them. He was just trying to be considerate of their space, since usually that is what they would want, including Abby when she was angry. He was glad that she had called so many times that he had finally given in and answered the phone. He really did feel better.

But, now he thought of the phone call. There was something that Abby wasn't telling him and he knew it. It was his turn to have a gut feeling. Abby had hinted strongly at something but not with enough detail for him to know what. Somehow, she knew that he wasn't drinking every day and wasn't seeing a new girl every other night. That was the way that Tony handled things. It always had been and always would be. That was just the way that things worked with him.

But she had also hinted that Ziva had sounded normal. Normally, in a situation that was difficult to handle, Ziva would hide herself and talk to no one, which included answering her phone unless it was for work purposes. Since they did not have work, then answering Abby's phone call alone meant that she was handling this entirely differently than he expected her to handle it.

Something was different with his two fellow former-agents. He could tell from her tone and that she was hiding something. What did she know? What was she not saying? He went over it again in her mind.

She had explicitly said that she had talked to both of them that morning and that they were going to plan the get-together tonight and that Ziva would make sure they had somewhere to eat. She had said that she knew that he was not drinking this one away. How could she know that? Was it something that he said? Was it some situation that she overheard? What was it? And how she somehow knew that Ziva was normal! How did she know that?

McGee finished with his sandwich, resigned to the questions that would remain unanswered for now. He went to his room to change his clothes and pulled his keys off the hook. It would take him at least a half hour to get to Tony's apartment.

* * *

A/N - Oops! I left McGee in the dark again. Don't worry, I have something planned. He will get caught up to everything that is going on with his friends soon enough. Keep reading to find out! Reviews are always appreciated!


	12. Devious

A/N – Okay, so I am going to warn you, this chapter is definitely a strong T (for language and sexual references), but not M. Please, read responsibly. If you wish to skip the strong T part, then skip to below the line and you will be all set.

This chapter gets the three that quit back together again in the same room. What will be learned and what will be avoided in this chapter? Read to find out and please review!

**Chapter 12**

**Devious**

"I cannot believe I answered your phone!" Ziva said to Tony as they searched through his kitchen an hour later, looking for something to eat.

Ziva was wearing his Ohio State T-shirt and nothing else. He was dressed only in his boxers. He looked at her, noticing that the T-shirt barely covered her bare ass. His face broke into a wide grin at the sight and Ziva laughed at him as she waggled her hips while she reached up for the pancake mix that she saw on the top shelf.

Soon, she felt Tony behind her. He reached around her around the waist and pressed his hips into hers. She moved her arms back down and placed one hand on his ass behind her and gave it a squeeze. She turned her head to face him. She kissed his lips and he kissed back but she broke the kiss quickly.

"We could always eat later?" she suggested to him.

"That sounds like a great idea to me," he answered her. "I feel like we need to make up for lost time because we were too stupid to do this years ago."

"Hmm, that is a good way to put it," she said, chuckling at him. "I just _can't_ get enough of you, Tony!"

Her face instantly turned red at her confession and she didn't even care that she was confessing it. She wanted to tell him everything! She loved that man and she knew that he loved her as well. This was the most marvelous thing that she had ever experienced. His hand moved to the back of her thigh.

"I agree, I think we can always eat later," he whispered in her ear and pressed her further into the counter, kissing her neck and listening to her moan a little.

"Tony," she said in a voice of warning.

"If you are that hungry, this can wait too?" he asked.

"I was just going to remind you…," she gasped as he captured her neck again, "that this is the kitchen."

"I know," he said in a seductive voice and moved his hand from the back of her thigh to her bare butt, lifting up his t-shirt as he went.

She moaned and gave up her thoughts of leaving the kitchen as his hand moved toward the middle of her legs. He felt that she was ready for him and then she felt his boxers slide out from between them as she turned her head to kiss him.

* * *

"I think we should just go with some toast," Tony said, an hour later. It was getting late and neither of them really planned to spend too much time thinking about what to eat anymore.

They were already nearly out of energy and needed a shower. Ziva popped four slices of bread into the toaster and waited, tapping the butter knife on the counter as it toasted. She had a silly grin on her face and she knew that Tony was staring. She could feel his eyes on her.

"Tony, what are you staring at?" she asked after a moment without turning around and without erasing the grin off her face.

"I've never seen you so content and happy," he mentioned to her.

She turned to look at him now, her smile only growing. She giggled softly to him and then felt the color return to her cheeks.

"I don't think I have ever been this content and happy before, Tony," she whispered to him. "I'm very happy. I feel like I belong with you."

"Hmm… I feel that way too. It's just perfect," he said with a smile on his face as the toast came up.

She quickly buttered the toast and Tony was watching her the whole time. Even the way she buttered toast reminded him of how a ninja would work. It was fast and efficient without missing a bit of the bread.

She placed all of the toast on a napkin and placed it in front of him and took a slice for herself and smiled at him. It was certainly no fancy meal. They had missed breakfast and they were only eating toast for lunch. At least they would be hungry for the dinner that Ziva was supposed to be planning for them.

When Ziva was finished, she glanced at the clock. It was almost one in the afternoon and she giggled at how late it was already. Her eyes met Tony's again.

"Time flies when you're having fun," she whispered. "I never understood that expression until now. I am, however, going to take a shower. I will return shortly."

She kissed him on the lips and he sighed happily as she left the room. He threw out the napkin and wiped down the counter as he heard the water turn on in the bathroom. He smiled again, knowing that Ziva was in his shower. He sat down on the couch and waited for her to finish. He would need a shower when she was done.

After a moment, he heard a knock on the door and realized that he was only in his boxers. He thought it was probably just his nosey next door neighbor. He went and looked in the small hole in his door. He saw McGee standing there, fully dressed and he laughed.

He opened the door and laughed at McGee's expression. McGee could hear the shower running. That meant that there was someone else there, probably a girl. McGee almost felt bad for interrupting, but Abby had assured him that Tony was not seeing a new girl every other night. Perhaps he had a permanent girlfriend? But, Tony had always boasted about his dating conquests so why should today be any different. But, then it occurred to McGee, that he was at Tony's apartment. Tony never brought a girl back to his place. Could his father be there? Or, could Tony have found a girl that he trusts in his sanctuary?

"Sit down, McGoo!" Tony said cheerfully. "I will be right back!"

Tony ran off to the bedroom and found Ziva's bag. He grabbed a simple tank and a pair of shorts. And, god were they short! He was scared of what she had packed and that was the most covering thing that he saw, without searching her bag more thoroughly, which he already felt guilty about doing. It was strange, to feel that way, since he was known for going through people's things all the time. But, this was different; it was Ziva. He slowly opened the bathroom door and was glad to hear that the shower was still running.

"Hey, we have some company, so I brought in some clothes," he said to her.

"Thank you," she said, poking her head out of the shower and seeing that he was still in his boxers. She smiled at him and nearly hopped out of the shower to pull him in with her before remembering the reason why he was in there. Then, she frowned.

"You should probably put some clothes on, too," she said with a pout that made him laugh. "I don't want other people seeing you like that."

"It is just McGee," Tony whispered, feeling his cheeks turning a little red.

She laughed at what he said and pulled her head back into the shower. She was still laughing for a moment and Tony stood there, waiting for some verbal response, because he knew he was going to get one.

"This ought to be funny! I will be out in a five minutes, Tony! Please, don't tell him anything until I'm out there. I want to see his face," Ziva said quietly while rinsing the shampoo out of her hair.

"I'm going to go get dressed," Tony said, also laughing at the private joke they were sharing, and he left the bathroom laughing now at the way they hadn't changed at all even though they were something so much more than friends now.

Tony poked his head into the living room and smiled at McGee, with mischief in his thoughts. McGee looked very confused over something that he was thinking about, which made Tony want to laugh harder.

"I'll be out in a couple of minutes. I'm going to get dressed," Tony said.

"I think maybe I should have called first," McGee said uncomfortably. "You seem to have company."

"No worries, probie!" Tony said smiling widely and laughing again.

McGee couldn't believe how happy Tony was. This was so unusual. Tony should be devastated about not having a job right now and McGee knew it. He really wanted to know who was in the shower, because whoever it was had turned Tony DiNozzo, the one who was supposed to brood over bad situations, into a happy and honest Tony DiNozzo. But, could it really be a girl in the shower, Tony never had girls at his place!

Not that McGee was complaining, because he had only recently been cheered up enough himself, but McGee really didn't like to deal with Tony when he was brooding over something. He always felt like he would fall back into the Tony that he had seen during the summer that they thought that Ziva was dead. That was a horrible thing.

McGee then felt a pang of guilt. Whoever was in the shower was not the right person for Tony and he knew it, especially since he was sure it was a girl with the way Tony was acting. Tony and Ziva clearly belonged together and refused to believe it. Hell, he had even written a book and put them together! That was the way they were supposed to be. Now, Tony was dating someone new and he knew that tonight when they all got together that Ziva would know and she would be overly jealous like always. He hated seeing his friends like that. It was so wrong for them. And, it was definitely wrong that Tony was inviting this girl to stay at his place, his sanctuary, because the only one McGee could picture being there, in the future, that is, was Ziva.

"Go change, DiNozzo," McGee said, sounding very Gibbs-like while he was thinking about the idea of dealing with an overly happy Tony who was going to brag and a jealous Ziva who was going to throw deadly glares at him all night. This was going to be a long night.

Tony went into his bedroom and pulled out a simple tank top and a pair of shorts. He was certainly not going to get dressed up for McGee and was not going to be anymore dressed than Ziva. She would feel awkward enough around McGee with that small amount of clothing on. But, then again, she was the one who had packed her own clothes for staying at Tony's. Had she expected to never have company or go on a date? He didn't know and didn't want to know the answer to that.

Tony made it out of the bedroom just as he heard the shower turn off and he sat in silence next to McGee on the couch. Tony didn't want to meet his eyes, because he was afraid that McGee might ask some questions about who was in the shower or what he had been up to in the last couple of days that they were no longer employed. He had promised Ziva that he would not say a word about it until she got out there. He didn't blame her for that request… after all, they were in this together now and he understood the need to see McGee's face when he found out who was there.

McGee broke the silence.

"So, Abby said that you weren't dating a new girl every night like you used to do when you had problems you didn't want to deal with," McGee mentioned, hoping to kill some of the tension in the room.

"Did she really?" Tony asked, with a smile on his face at how well Abby had read into their phone conversation that morning.

"Yes, she did. She also said that you weren't drinking, but I don't know how she could know any of that from a phone call," McGee said.

"Well, it's true, McProbie," he said. "I am not dating a _different_ girl every other night and I am not drinking more than once in a while. I am perfectly fine."

"Why do you say it like that, Tony?" McGee asked, confused about the emphasis Tony had put on the word "different". "Does that mean that your date is in the shower?"

Tony heard the bathroom door open.

"She was in the shower," Tony said, smiling from ear to ear.

McGee nearly groaned at the situation. He was sure it was as he thought. Whoever this girl was, was the wrong one for Tony. Tony should be seeking out Ziva and getting with her, and he knew it. How could they not see what the deal was with each other?

Tony could hear her footsteps in the hall. He had to drag this out as much as he could so that McGee could see her, and she could see his face.

"So you are dating just one girl?" McGee asked, still hoping to relieve some tension.

Tony could see Ziva lurking on the edge of the room and listening to the conversation, waiting, unbearably silently, for the right moment to enter the room.

"Yes, McGee," Tony said. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Actually, not so much anymore," McGee said thoughtfully. "It's been so long since you've been on a date with anyone, though. What made you start again?"

"Yea, well this is pretty serious, McGee," Tony said, ignoring the question, knowing that he would realize the reason on his own soon enough. "I really like this one… she might even be the one, you know?"

"How long have you been dating her?"

"Not long, McGee, but I've known her for a very long time," Tony said, now looking seriously at McGee. "I've always felt that way about her, as long as I've known her, I think."

"Great! You mind not boasting about it tonight at dinner? I honestly don't want to have to deal with Ziva's jealousy!" McGee said with a heavy sigh, wondering where the girl had gone after getting out of the shower and who it was; and also wondering if he was going to meet his mystery woman who was allowed into Tony's "sanctuary". It must be someone very special.

"Don't worry, McGee," Tony said. "I won't go boasting about it to her, at least not much. I wouldn't want her to get jealous of the special girl that holds my heart!"

McGee heard laughing from the hallway and his head whipped around that way just as the girl he was wondering about stepped out of the hallway and into his view. McGee had thought he had recognized the sound and was only proven right that he knew that laughter and would know it anywhere. McGee's mouth fell open and his eyes widened with shock as he saw her standing there with a wide smile on her face.

Her hair was wet and falling down her shoulders in loose curls. She was wearing a white tank top and small blue workout shorts. Her face was bright with a smile and her eyes were playful. Ziva was standing in front of him and McGee couldn't even remember what he and Tony had just been talking about, before. But then, it all hit him at once now! Abby knew about this and had hidden it from him, so he would be surprised. Tony and Ziva were here, together, as a couple and Tony had mentioned that his girl was in the shower. McGee couldn't find the strength to speak.


	13. Shock and Comprehension

**Chapter 13**

**Shock and Comprehension**

McGee looked back and forth between the two so that his head was shaking as though he didn't believe what he was seeing. How could they be a couple? How long had they been together? Were they together before leaving NCIS? Did Gibbs know? Did they wait until they were no longer coworkers? Could this be just some type of practical joke?

He looked closely at Tony. He had been wearing boxers when he had let McGee in. Now he was wearing a white tank and some long black shorts. Ziva, on the other hand was wearing a white tank top that fitted her every curve and short, blue workout shorts that barely covered anything. And the looks they were giving each other! The smiles on their faces were so genuine and filled with love that he wanted to look away, as though those shared looks were somehow more private than they used to be.

McGee thought for a moment. Ziva had been in Tony's shower. She was at his "sanctuary" as he often called it; his place that he called his own and would never allow any girl to stay at. She had been in the shower when McGee got there and Tony had gone in and spoken to her, while she was in the shower! That was crazy! But, Tony had been in his boxers, which meant that he was in his boxers before McGee had gotten there and before Ziva had gotten in the shower. That was even crazier!

McGee looked again. The look they shared now was slightly different from before. Ziva didn't have any defenses up and was not averting her gaze as soon as Tony met her eyes. She was staring straight back into him and allowing everyone to see how she felt. Tony was not making stupid and childish jokes to cope with the feelings that he knew were there and using that to hide behind. He was staring at her intensely with a seriousness that only someone in love could hold. This was a recent development for them, or they were good at hiding it at work. McGee wanted to shout "no" and open his eyes from whatever crazy dream he had entered. He was so sure that they would never realize that they were perfect for each other, that this was just unbelievable.

Tony and Ziva stayed where they were and waited patiently for McGee to comprehend what he was seeing and what he knew. When he finally stopped moving his head back and forth between them, his eyes remained on Ziva, as though she was the one who did not belong in the apartment at the moment. Ziva smiled at him and McGee swallowed, trying to remember how to speak, feeling intimidated by Ziva as he always had, since she was a former Mossad assassin.

"Hello, Tim," she said kindly and walked over, sitting down on the couch on the other side of Tony.

McGee watched her as she sat right up next to him, so that their bodies were touching each other. They had never invaded each other's space quite that much that he knew about. They shared another look. She immediately reached for Tony's hand and their fingers were intertwined in a moment. McGee really wanted to be sure he was seeing things correctly, but he was too focused on how they moved around each other now, which was so different from only a few days ago when he had last observed his two friends together.

They moved like gravity pulled them toward each other. When one shifted slightly the other shifted to fit perfectly to the other. They worked in unison, as though they were one person with one mind and one soul, without ever having to communicate what they were doing. McGee was used to seeing them work in unison on the field, but they had never moved in unison when it was not life or death. McGee's jaw dropped again and both Tony and Ziva looked at each other, wondering what he was getting out of all this.

"You two… you are… are you like… together now?" he managed to stammer out.

The two shared another look and smiled at each other, their eyes sparkling with joy. Ziva giggled. McGee couldn't believe his ears. The ex-Mossad assassin just giggled, like a normal girl! That was not a sound that anyone heard every day, and something that he certainly had never heard, and he had worked with her for eight years.

"Yes, McGee, we are," Tony said happily.

"This is just some practical joke, right?" McGee asked, not able to believe that they finally got together after all this time.

McGee knew that his two friends were neither blind nor dumb. But, they sure had a strange way of showing that. They had skirted around each other, without ever opening up for a long time. He knew that recently they had started to open up, but he was sure that when the secret of Adam Eschel had come out from Parsons there was no chance of the two recovering fully from that. McGee also knew that they had been in love with each other for a very long time and had denied it through most of that time; at least up until they quit and apparently only up until they quit, by the looks of them. He wondered if either of them had admitted it to themselves before this moment. They were certainly no longer in denial.

"Oh, Tim, I am hurt," Ziva said, feigning heartache at his accusation, but giggling again. "I know it is a lot to take in all at once, especially with everything else that has happened in the most recent months. But, yes, we are really together, finally."

"And very happy, too," Tony said, looking at Ziva again and giving her a grin that was so genuine and one that he thought he had never seen from Tony before.

"I can see that," McGee said. "I feel like I'm intruding."

"Not at all," they both said at the same time and then started laughing again.

"But, Tony does need to go take a shower," Ziva mentioned and wrinkled her nose playfully as she looked at him.

"Aw, come on… you didn't think I smelled that bad an hour ago!" Tony said playing along and laughing with her.

"Well, that was before I took a shower, remember?" Ziva said, unable to contain the smile on her face. "But, you do need a shower… and not because you smell."

Tony chuckled at her again. "Why, Miss David, if my memory suits me, you are quite right," he said kissing her on the lips and getting up and leaving the room, leaving McGee and Ziva to talk among themselves.

As soon as Tony left, McGee was completely silent and looking at the blank television screen in front of them. This was so different from everything he had ever known about them. But, at the same time, they seemed to be the same two people that he had worked with only a few days ago. They were clearly in love, still, and they had clearly given into that feeling now that there was no rule twelve in the way.

McGee knew enough to know that love was supposed to change a person and he thought back to a different time when he remembered his two partners changing. It was a challenging time for all of them. He could remember the change in Tony before he could remember the change in Ziva.

**_They had just heard that the Democles sank off the coast of Africa. McGee watched Tony carefully, wondering what his reaction would be. McGee was hurt, but it was not visible. Ziva was like a sister to him and he was sad at the news that she could be gone forever. He reminded himself that Tony and Ziva always fought, but he knew there were unspoken feelings between them. He now wondered how deep those feelings were, and watched his partner for some answers._**

**_Tony's face fell and then he raised his eyes to Gibbs again, with a little hope left in them. "But, Ziva…." He stopped himself before he could finish the question. It was too difficult for him to think of that possibility, McGee could see it in his eyes and he was sure Gibbs could see it, too. McGee turned his gaze to Gibbs for a moment and could see obvious worry written on his face._**

**_"There were no survivors," Gibbs said, his face harder than McGee could ever remembering seeing it. He was hurt by this too, and not showing it, just like always with Gibbs._**

**_Tony's face dropped and he stood there a moment, totally silent. McGee could see his cheeks turning red from the angle he looked at his partner. Tony left the room quickly without a word, with his body hunched over and left MTAC at that moment. McGee followed him out and saw that he went into the men's room as he wiped his eye. Tony was crying over Ziva? Did he realize now how he felt about her? It was a little late, McGee thought._**

**_Over the next several weeks he noticed an increasing smell of alcohol on Tony, every morning and even stronger when they were called in at night. He was often late to work these days, and would look as though he had not slept at all, for several days. Tony was clearly drinking to try to drown out his sorrows, which seemed to be too great to handle on his own, though he accepted no help from anyone. _**

**_What was worse than that, was that there were no more jokes, no more childish behavior, and no more crazy movie references. He was not the brilliant chatterbox that he always was. Tony was not Tony anymore; he was a man with pain, real pain that hurt further down than anyone could see by looking at the surface. Tony was nearly silent, every single day. He only spoke when he was spoken to, if he was not lost in his thoughts, and he hardly worked, because he was so lost in his own mind. Half the time he would spend staring at Ziva's empty desk that had been empty since her leaving NCIS. Tony was losing it, and both McGee and Gibbs could see it and realized that they were powerless to do anything about it._**

**_Tony's eyes had gone blank and lost the typical sparkle of joy that they always held, no matter the day, time, or case that they were working on. It was like Tony had died as well, as soon as he heard the news. He was like a zombie that was walking around and going through the motions of everyday life; it was a little eerie to watch. He was not Tony anymore. He was not himself at all. He was sad and alone and hurt and no one knew just how hurt Tony was, because he was good at hiding it; but if that was good at hiding it, then how hurt was he really? Then, one day in August Gibbs stood up and looked at the pair of them, just like any other morning after that tell-tale phone call._**

**_"Dead marine in Quantico, grab your gear," he said, as always. Always someone dead somewhere to investigate. That was the life they had chosen to live._**

**_"No," Tony said, standing up. There was something in his eye that McGee couldn't quite interpret. Was it blood-lust? That was not something that anyone could picture in Tony's eyes. At least there was some life there now, when before there hadn't been anything._**

**_"What?" Gibbs asked in disbelief and relief at the same time. His eyes had turned to Tony and his eyes told McGee that he was pleased to see some kind of response from Tony that was not mechanic and automatic. He was glad that there was some life to Tony. But, he was afraid of what he was seeing and McGee could only guess why._**

**_"No!" Tony said more firmly, his expression hardening as he made a resolution to no longer go through the motions and pretend that he was alright, when clearly he wasn't._**

**_There was a slight smirk on Gibbs' face and McGee was shocked that Tony told him no. Tony never told Gibbs no. That was the only time in his life that had happened and Gibbs was smirking about it. McGee knew that Tony was doing it for Ziva. McGee almost smiled as he realized that Tony was coming alive for a good reason and wondered why he hadn't thought of revenge. He had to remind himself that Ziva was not as important to him as she was to Tony and it was obvious now that it was more drastic than any of them had thought before, except maybe Gibbs._**

**_"Go to Abby, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, still smirking. "Build a case."_**

**_Then, it all changed again. Tony wasn't Tony, but he wasn't dead either. He poured himself into his work and looked as though he had bloodlust in his eyes. He wanted revenge for what had happened to Ziva. Gibbs was helping him and Vance did not approve. But, it was for Ziva, so I offered up my help as well and the case of the dead marine went to a minor case team._**

"How long, Ziva?" McGee asked, pulling himself out of his thoughts of how Tony had changed four years ago.

"How long what?"

"How long have you two been together?" he asked.

"The day after we resigned," she said smiling at him.

"That's only two days," McGee said, now turning his thoughts to Ziva and when she had changed.

She had changed. She had changed a lot in a small amount of time. He didn't know when she changed exactly, because it was hidden by other things that were bothering her and covering up the feelings she had recognized, but he noticed it after they came home from Paris. The very next day, actually.

**_"Good morning, Tony," she said, her eyes lighting up as though there were sparks flying around the room._**

**_She had been quiet and distant since we had rescued her from Somalia. That is she had been more quiet and distant than her usual. She was Mossad and she was trained to be distant from people and keep secrets. But, now it was different. Now she was thoughtfully quiet and there was pain in her eyes, once something returned to her eyes. She had had empty eyes, like Tony's when they found her. She had been dead inside, like Tony had been. When she got emotions back at all, it was distant, quiet, and very well hidden, because it was pain._**

**_ Tony had also been quiet and distant since then too, probably not wanting to think about the hell she had been through over there and not wanting to alert her to what he knew he was feeling, or didn't know. They didn't know what had happened to her there and her pain was nearly killing him and McGee didn't know whether she saw it or not. McGee wanted to do something, but wasn't sure what he could do for his friends._**

**_They had just come home from Paris and it was their first day back at work after that. Something was very different about today. Ziva's eyes were twinkling with the happiness that had long ago left her; the last time McGee had seen that happiness it was no where near as intense and it was right after their undercover mission as married assassins. Ziva's happiness was far deeper than anyone realized and it was more than just a happiness. But, there was still the pain hidden behind her eyes. Tony's eyes were sparkling happily now too and he was no longer suffering, since she was no longer suffering. Something must have happened over there. Something happening in Paris to revitilize his two coworkers, finally. Perhaps things would go back to how they were._**

**_McGee had been told, by Tony, that Tony had taken the couch. But, Abby had been told, by Ziva, that Ziva had taken the couch. Had they actually shared a bed? Had something happened between them in Paris. The tension was filling the room, like it used to, but this was more intense. Nothing could have happened, because that tension would have been eased by it._**

**_"Good morning, Zee-vah!" he said happily. "You look great this morning!"_**

**_"Stop staring, Tony! You are drooling like a dog!" she said._**

**_He laughed at her. The normal flirting and banter was back, but it was different, it was more intense, it was less censored than ever before. It was so tense and so relaxed and light-hearted at the same time. It was a conflict within them. It continued on like this and only intensified over time. McGee wondered how they had gone from walking on egg-shells around Ziva to more intense and less censored flirting than they had done before. What had happened?_**

"When?" McGee asked, wondering about what he was remembering and wondering if they knew the answer to that question themselves.

"When, what, McGee?" Ziva asked so confused by his random questions; she really had no idea what he was asking her. She had already told him when they started dating, so what did he want to know?

She heard the shower turn off, and was quietly excited to have Tony back by her side through these confusing questions that McGee kept asking. She knew that McGee was thinking about something and trying to work it all out in his head. What was he asking?

"When did you know?" McGee clarified.

Ziva was still a little confused, but was pretty sure that he was asking her when she knew she was in love with Tony. She smiled at him, though she tried to hide it. She could easily answer him if that was the question, because that was an easy answer for her.

"When did I know what, McGee?" she asked again, remaining calm and patient, which was so unusual for her.

"When did you know how you felt about Tony?" he asked her.

She thought deeply about it. She knew when she realized it, finally, but she also knew that she knew before then. When exactly did she know she loved Tony?

She knew before her father's funeral. She could tell that because of how guilty she felt about her actions with Adam. She knew before her father's death because she told Tony first about her father being in town and shared her worried with him openly. She knew before the elevator incident, because she wouldn't leave without Tony in fear that she would not see him again. She knew before the Jimmy's wedding certainly as well, because of their conversation and the meaning that it had. She knew for a long time, but when did she know.

Paris came back to her mind. That was when she knew for sure, but it was even before then, that was just the proof to her and she knew it, though she had never admitted it at the time.

It hit her, finally. She knew when her father had forced her to choose her allegiance, whether it was to NCIS or Mossad. She knew when she had to talk to Gibbs, forcing him to choose Tony over herself, which she had known which he would choose. She knew because as she watched him walk away toward the plane that day, knowing that she would not be getting on it and thinking she would never see him again, she was nearly in tears at what she was being forced to do. She knew because as she watched the plane fly out of sight she was actually in tears and couldn't focus on anything that she had to do.

"Before Somalia, when I stayed in Israel," she said quietly as Tony re-entered the room. "I knew how I felt about him when I watched him get onto the plane after my father made me choose between NCIS and Mossad."

"How did you know?" McGee asked.

"Because it hurt far too much to watch him walking away and thinking that I would never see his face again," Ziva admitted. "I do suspect that I felt this way about him before then, but that was when I knew it for sure."

"Me too," Tony said as he sat down next to Ziva and joined the conversation. "By the way, I made reservations tonight for all of us. I sent the address to everyone. We can all go to a bar or something after that."


	14. Painfully Happy Memories

A/N – Here is another chapter involving some old memories and a glance into Gibbs' thoughts and personal life. We get to see some of his pain bubble up to the surface about all that he had lost in life. It is a somewhat sad but touching chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or the characters.

**Chapter 14**

**Painfully Happy Memories**

He opened the door and walked into his house. He looked around and sighed very heavily. Of course they had searched here for anything that they could use against him. Parsons was going to pay for what he was doing to him and his team now. It was just that simple. But, this mission was necessary for him to be okay in the end of this investigation and he knew that. He wondered what would happen to Tony and Ziva, he knew that they were the worst breakers of all of the rules, and in reality in the worst trouble of them all. They were the ones who were most likely the next targets of Parsons. He was almost glad they quit as he looked around the house as it lay now.

Gibbs' once tidy living room was strewn with pictures, and furniture. But, Gibbs was not interested in the living room this particular night. He had met with Vance two days ago and he still had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had managed to get away from A.J. Chegwidden, the lawyer for two seconds. He had of course told his old friend the story that he had and why he was feeling uneasy. He knew that A.J. was feeling edgy too, now that he knew the truth.

Gibbs considered calling Ducky, because Ducky was his oldest friend, but that wasn't how Gibbs dealt with serious things. This was very serious and he wanted to deal with it alone, as he always did. If his suspicion was true, then he was only slightly shocked and not in the least bit surprised.

Gibbs shook his head and remembered that A.J. would notice his absence right away and would try to find out what he was up to. A.J. had feared from the beginning of this, that Gibbs would contact his team and would try to get them involved somehow, feeling that he needed his team for backup as he always did. That was not allowed this time, though. They were unemployed and no longer Federal Agents and anything involving this case was illegal for them, he was sure. Aside from whatever they could find on the internet that was. The team was not his responsibility anymore, at least not until this was over.

Gibbs moved up the stairs and took a right. He entered a room he had not been in for quite a long time. It was the room that he and Shannon had shared so many years ago. Now it was filled with her stuff and other miscellaneous things. Including pictures and his box with his rules in it. Gibbs thought back. He used to have a handwritten list of rules, but that had vanished on the day that they died as well. It was never seen again.

Gibbs slowly opened the door to the room that he had once lived and slept in. He stepped inside and could remember every moment all at once that was shared in such a room. He sighed and walked over to the bed. Laying on top of the bed was an old album full of photos that he had long ago looked at. He almost didn't want to look, for fear of remembering everything again. But, there was something that he felt like he needed to do.

He sat down on the bed and pulled the album into his lap. He opened it and on the first page he saw her face. There was a picture of three girls there and he pulled it out of the plastic binding that held it in place on the page.

He looked carefully, observing Shannon first. She had red hair and light freckles on her face. She was smiling up at him in a smile that he missed with all his heart. It still hurt to look at the pictures and remember what he had lost so long ago when he was in Desert Storm, all because she was being a good citizen and testifying as a witness in a murder investigation.

Gibbs shook his head and allowed his eyes to slip to the older girl on her left leg. She was no older than seven in this picture. He knew because he had taken the picture before he left to join Desert Storm. The smile on her face was completely his and he could see her mother's eyes in her. She also had the light freckles and the fair skin of her mother. Kelly was a beautiful girl and he missed her very much.

Gibbs finally allowed his eyes to slid to the other girl in the picture. This one was the mystery to him for so many years. He looked at her closely as his eyes filled with tears. He remembered the day this picture was taken.

**_"Let's take a picture that you can take with you to remember the three of us!" Shannon said._**

**_"I would never forget the three most beautiful girls in the whole world!" Gibbs said accusingly._**

**_"But, you want a picture to take with you, don't you? One you can look at so you have a reason to be careful?" Shannon asked with a playful pout on her face._**

**_Gibbs chuckled and so did Kelly. What surprised him was hearing his other daughter's laughter at this. He smiled widely when he heard her laughing. He looked at her._**

**_She was only two. She had dark red hair and the most brilliant blue eyes that he had ever seen. Her skin was not as fair as her sister's and her mother's. It had a darker shade since she liked to spend most of her time outdoors and in the sun. Her bright blue eyes shone with happiness as she looked up at her father and saw that he was smiling at her. Her smile was heartbreaking it was so beautiful. She had the sweetest dimples on either side of her mouth and the smile looked just like her mother's._**

**_"Picture, Daddy!" the girl demanded, jumping up and down in excitement._**

**_Gibbs couldn't help but chuckle as he saw his daughter bouncing in excitement. She loved being the center of attention. She loved having pictures taken, but she was so busy going that it was nearly impossible to do._**

**_"Okay, both of you sit on Mommy's lap," he said to the, smiling at his three girls._**

**_Shannon_****_ sat down on the couch and took Kelly into her arms. But, his other daughter was still bouncing in excitement._**

**_"Come on, Jen! Sit down with Mommy and give me a nice big smile. You want the picture to be perfect for when Daddy is away right?" Shannon asked her youngest daughter._**

**_"Yes!" the girl squealed and ran over to her mother, crashing into her and laughing as she looked at the camera._**

**_"You are a ball of fire, Jenny!" Gibbs said laughing at her._**

**_"Just like Mommy!" Kelly piped in. "You always say that, Daddy!"_**

**_Little Jen laughed again and looked straight into the camera. Then came the snap of the camera and a flash of light that made the little girl laugh wildly again._**

"What happened to you, Jennifer?" he asked quietly to the emptiness of the room, feeling tears streaming down his face. "You must have been with your mother that day, in that car accident… what happened to you?"

"Talking to a picture, Jethro?" asked A.J.'s voice. Gibbs turned his face to see his friend and smiled through the tears that were openly falling from his eyes. "Are you getting any answers from the picture?"

Gibbs shook his head. "I was at the funeral, A.J.," he said quietly, not used to sharing his emotions with others. "I was there. We buried Shannon and Kelly. What happened to her?"

A.J. walked over. "I only wish I could answer that for you, Jethro," he said. Gibbs showed him the picture and watched A.J.'s eyes scan it over. "She was a beautiful little girl. What was her name?"

"Jennifer Ann Gibbs," he whispered quietly. "She looked like a Jennifer and Ann was my mother's name. She didn't die that day. I always knew that, but I gave up looking for her a long time ago."

"Do you think that this is the girl that Parsons found?" A.J. asked curiously as he looked back at the picture of the three girls that Gibbs had handed him.

"I don't know," Gibbs said. "Same birthday. Car accident the same year. Mother and sibling that died the same day. Father in NCIS. It's starting to add up to that, and it's too much to be a coincidence, no matter how hard I try to convince myself that it might be. But, who are the other people that she knew? And what caused her to go through all that trauma in her life. Did you look at the full medical file?"

"I did," A.J. said. "Given half of it was blacked out, but I did go through it. You have something to focus on, Gibbs. You have to focus on this mission. Then, I swear to you, if it is the last thing I ever do, I will help you find the answers to the questions you ask of a picture that was taken in early 1991."

Gibbs lowered his head. How had he given up on her? He failed her as a father for giving up hope so long ago? What if she was still alive all this time? His little Jenny. In reality it was his first Jenny.

Jenny Shepard was just the second Jenny in his life. And another red-head, he reminded himself. She was the second Jenny that had been so important to him and just as important as Shannon and Kelly and his little Jenny had been. He had given up on both of his girls that were named Jenny. Yes, it was too late for Jenny Shepard, but it was not too late for his princess; the little girl that was such a ball of fire.

He could remember that she had her very serious and quiet moments, that were just like his and that she had so much energy and motivation that came in waves that reminded him only of his first wife, Shannon. She was an even mix of the two and she was a wonderful girl and he missed her more than anything in the world, knowing that she could be out there somewhere, and possibly a marine.

What made him most curious was what he did know from the girl's file that Parsons had found. She was a sniper and good at secretive things, just like he had been. That meant that she had patience and a good eye. She had been through hell though, just judging by the injuries that were not blacked out in her file. He sighed as he pocketed the picture of his three girls and one more of just his little Jennifer. He remembered the last time he said goodbye to her.

**_"Daddy, I know you go because you fight for us," she said to him, her bright blue eyes filled with tears and her tanned cheeks bright red. "Don't get hurt!"_**

**_"I promise you, sweet pea," Gibbs said quietly. "I promise you that I will come home again. I will come home and I will be safe. I have to go now. A marine's duty is to his country always. You are a part of that country so I am serving you as I go to fight this war."_**

**_The girl sobbed in his arms and placed her head on his shoulder, which was clad in sandy camouflage already. He could feel her tears soaking through the shirt of his uniform and it broke his heart that he had to live this little love, who was always filled with too many adult emotions to deal with._**

**_"Chin up, little marine!" he said to her._**

**_The little girl picked her head up and looked her father right in the eyes, still allowing those tears to fall from them, but trying to control herself. Her face was serious and straight, just like a little marine's face would be._**

**_"Semper fi, Daddy," she said and saluted him with her left hand, which caused her father to chuckle._**

**_He lifted his right hand off her back and saluted with it._**

**_"Semper fi, my little marine! I love you, Jenny!"_**

**_"I love you too, Daddy," she whispered and placed a soft kiss on his cheek before returning to her mother and keeping her chin up as her father had asked her to do._**

**_Gibbs then kissed Shannon on the cheek and Kelly too. He turned one more time to the little girl on his wife's hip and smiled at her. He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead._**

**_"Semper fi, always," he said._**

**_"Oorah!" she said smiling at his smile._**

**_He placed a hand on her chin and smiled at her. "That's my girl!" he said with a wink._**

**_She saluted again, using her left hand, and watched as her father first saluted to her and then turned on his heel and marched away from them toward the buss that would take him away for a long time. He peered back at her, still holding her salute as the bus road away from the station._**

"I promised I would come home," he whispered to the picture. "I did. Now, I promise to bring you home too!"

He pocketed the picture and stood up from the bed, smiling at the sight of his little girl smiling up from the still camera picture. It was taken the day he had left and it was of her saluting to the camera for her father's sake, since he had promised he was coming home.

* * *

A/N - This chapter was like a roller coaster for me. There were happy memories filled with so much pain and confusion that it was difficult to write. I hope you all liked it and the memories that we get to see of Gibbs and his family. Let me know what you think.


	15. Reunion

A/N – This is the beginning of the friends' evening together. I'm so glad they come back together for dinner and talk. More to come soon!

**Chapter 15**

**Reunion**

Tony and Ziva road on the car together silently, wondering how the others would take the news of them being a couple, since they were both certain that the others had already guessed or heard through someone else. After all their phone call with Abby had basically given it away, and the conversation with McGee did give it away. They were a little nervous and didn't want to admit it. Tony was driving tonight, because Ziva wanted to calm her mind, not race until she had nothing left to think about.

Tony pulled into a parking space and went around to open Ziva's door. He took her hand and pulled her out of the car gently. He placed a soft kiss on her lips and led her toward the restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia. They went inside and the hostess looked at them curiously.

"Private party for DiNozzo," he said.

She looked down at her sheet and smiled. "Right this way, please. That was six, right?"

"Yes," Tony said nodding and followed the hostess to a private room for their dinner and drinks that evening.

He had thought that a private party would be better, so they could share conversation and laughs and not share them with the other people in the building. He also thought that it would help them relax a little without anyone having to worry about cleaning up a mess at the end of the night. They sat down next to each other on the bench, which was comfortable, and held hands tightly. They stared into each other's eyes until they heard the door open again and saw McGee standing there.

"Hi," McGee said cautiously, unsure of what to expect still from the new couple.

"Hi," they both said brightly, happy to see a familiar face again that day.

"I just got a text from Abby. They left NCIS about fifteen minutes ago and they are on their way here," he said quietly. Both of the others nodded, while McGee took a seat away from them, feeling like he was invading their privacy for the second time that day.

They sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes and then the door opened again. Abby was the next one to walk in. She stood in the doorway for a moment, as though she was testing the atmosphere of the room. Her eyes pierced them one at a time.

She looked at McGee first, who was glancing over at Tony and Ziva, who were sitting unusually close to one another. Her eyes made this sweep too slowly, like she was predicting what she was going to see next. Finally, her eyes fell on Tony and Ziva's interlaced fingers and her face broke into a very wide smile. But then, she slowly frowned at them, without moving from her spot.

She walked over and sat right in front of them, pulling up a chair and looking first to Tony and then Ziva and back again. They watched her glancing back and forth for a few moments as they sat their and accepted her scrutiny. While they sat their Ducky and Palmer walked in and they smiled at the others in the room. Abby turned quickly back around to continue her observation of Tony and Ziva.

"Well?" she asked seriously.

"Well, what, Abby?" Tony asked.

"What is this?" she asked, grabbing their hands and picking them up as though it was evidence of something.

"Those are called hands, Abby," Ziva said as though she was talking to a child. "They are things that we use for grabbing things, like another hand."

"I know what they are, thank you, Ziva," Abby said rolling her eyes and not liking how playful she was feeling with all that was going on. "Why are you, Ziva, holding Tony's hand? And why are you, Tony, holding Ziva's hand? I thought you were mad at each other. Or, did you work that whole Adam issue out already? Did I miss something? And even if you did work that out, why are you holding hands, that is not like you two?"

They looked at each other and then back to Abby, smiling. "You see, Abby, we worked that out already," Tony said, smiling at Ziva, who looked as though she was still feeling a little guilty. He brought their hands up to her cheek and used the back of his to stroke her cheek. "I told you, it's not important anymore."

Ziva blushed a little. "I know that," Ziva responded, looking at him. "Yes, Abby, he is right, we did resolve that already. And we have been talking a lot in the past few days."

"And the talking led to something more serious than the weather," Tony said. "Like memories."

"Good memories," Ziva said. "Like Paris."

"Paris?" Abby asked, still mystified as to what happened in Paris. "What about Paris?"

"And Berlin," Tony said with a smile on his face.

"What happened in Berlin?" she asked now, still confused and her eyes narrowing.

"And we realized a few things," Ziva said looking into Tony's eyes.

"Yes, we certainly did," Tony agreed with her and the others felt as though they were intruding on a private moment.

"And one thing led to another," Ziva went on, smiling at her memories. "And then we were kissing."

"And cuddling," Tony continued.

"And holding hands," Ziva said.

"So, we put rule twelve behind us," Tony added, looking deeply at Ziva. "And I took her out."

"And we have been at his apartment most of the time."

"At least something good came of the hurt," Abby said, rolling her eyes. "But, honestly, how could you? How could you do this now? What happens when Gibbs gets back… assuming he survives this mission? And what happens when he tries to enforce rule twelve on the two of you? What happens when he tries to separate you two and take one of you off the team, or worse, both of you? What do you think that will do to the team then? Not that there is a team now, but still! But, what happens when you two fall in love and you change?"

"Abby," McGee warned her.

She looked over at McGee. How could he support this? How could he support his two teammates in this? They were going to rip the family apart and that thought was making her panic. They were the ones that he worked with the most and he had to rely on them to have his back as much as they had each others. What was he thinking in supporting this?

"Abby," Ziva said.

"What?" she snapped at Ziva.

"Things are not going to change too much from what they were before," Ziva said. "That was one of the things we realized when we were talking."

"How could you possibly think that? Don't you remember the whole Rivkin thing?"

"How could I forget it?" Ziva asked, laughing now as she looked at Tony who was shaking his head and wondering why Abby was bringing all that up again. "That is not the point Abby. It was something that Tony and I realized. The things that would change between us, already have changed. They changed between us the moment that Tony saw me alive in Somalia."

Abby opened her mouth and then closed it again. She was looking between the two of them. They never spoke of Ziva's time in Somalia, especially not her rescue, because that was perhaps just as sensitive as what had happened to her there, because of the state of her nature and her being ready to die and all that. What was she saying now? Why was she saying that things changed after that? Of course, they had changed, but that didn't have anything to do with this, did it?

Ziva read what Abby was thinking.

"You have to understand, Abby," Ziva said. "Somalia was a suicide mission from the start and it broke my heart to stay behind in Israel. My father forced me to choose between the family that I loved and trusted and the family that I had been raised in. I chose wrong and was sent on a suicide mission to prove my allegiance. So, because I am stubborn and pig-headed, or whatever that expression is, and I had to be right all the time, I chose to accept the mission, instead of getting killed right then.

"With that I went off to Somalia with two men from Mossad. I went back to sleeping with a gun under the pillow and went back to trusting no one as though it had been yesterday. When they were finished with their fire-fight aboard the Democles we left the ship and then it sank in a storm since there was no one left to steer the ship. When we found dry land the other three got treated, but they were injured too badly to continue on."

"So you decided to go alone?" Abby asked.

Tony squeezed Ziva's hand. She was talking about this now? She was going to bring up some more sensitive information right now in front of their friends? She was going to bring up something sad in light of their sad events.

"No, Abby. It did not work like that," Ziva said. "I called my father and asked to stay with the others until they were healed enough to continue on, even though I knew that he was going to tell me to go on without them and prove my allegiance to Israel. I was right, of course. My director told me to continue with the operation and so I did. By the time Tony got to me I was hurt in more ways than just physical things.

"I had lost myself and Tony. That was what hurt the most. I had betrayed Tony and hurt him and lost him. That was my worst punishment by far," Ziva said thoughtfully. "But, when I heard him there, before I saw him I thought I was dreaming at first. I thought it was just another dream of someone coming to rescue me. But, I realized that my hope and dreams had gone out a long time before then. When I saw him I smiled. It was the first time I had smiled since leaving the United States. I smiled because he was there to save me, or to die with me, or to try to save me and sacrifice himself in the attempt. But no matter, he was there and I knew that he had not stopped thinking of me either. It was when I knew that I was not the only one with crazy and out of control feelings that were left unspoken for a very long time."

"You two are blind," Abby said. "We've all known that you felt something for the other for a long time now. It was obvious from the moment you set foot onto NCIS property, after Kate's death. But, I honestly didn't think you would act on it, because it would destroy the team dynamic."

"Which has changed since she first joined, hasn't it?" Tony asked her curiously. "Think, when was the major change from normal aside from Somalia?"

"Paris," she whispered. "What happened in Paris?"

"Whatever did happen in Paris has stayed in Paris," Ziva said laughing to herself and glancing at Tony who he knew was about to correct her. "I know the saying is what happens in vegas stays in vegas. Anyway, nothing horribly significant happened in Paris. We just came to a simple understanding that we shared feelings and were leaving them unsaid, in hopes that it would not change the way we worked together."

"But, it still did change the way we worked together. Significantly," Tony said quietly. "We relied on each other a lot more. We were more protective of each other. We were jealous of each other's boyfriends, or girlfriends…."

"And one night stands," Ziva added for him. "But, that did not change who we are, Abby. We still bicker like children, and argue over nothing at all. We still play pranks on McGee and we still enjoy every second that we are around each other. And, we still flirt like we are trying to catch the other's attention."

"The difference is, now we know for sure," Tony said. "Now we are together and we are committed to each other. We are not going to get jealous of each other's love interests because we know that we are each other's love interest. Those things will no longer get in the way of the team dynamic, as you used with choice words. We are a team outside of work now, too, instead of just inside work. We want you to be happy for us and we would love Gibbs' approval, but we can't seem to locate him to get it, as he is supposed to be on a secret mission."

"He sort of is on the secret mission," Abby said. "And about that, we can talk after dinner. I have information that none of you are going to like. And, I kind of want your help poking around for information in totally legal ways, because I know that Parsons is not going away and I think he is not who he says he is."

"Great," Ziva said. "After dinner Abby. When we are drinking and more relaxed. How are you Ducky and Palmer?"

"I am doing well, my young lady," Ducky said. "I am glad for you and Anthony!"

He came over and kissed her on the cheek and smiled at the two of them before shaking Tony's hand. Palmer walked over.

"You two are perfect for each other," Palmer said. "Everyone at the office already thought that you were a couple and this just means their right now. I am happy for you both. I hope you don't kill each other though."

"Do not worry, Jimmy," Ziva said. "I don't think I could live without him, which means it would be detrimental to myself if I were to kill him."

"Likewise, Autopsy Gremlin," Tony said.

They shared a quick laugh and picked up their menus and began to read what was offered at this restaurant. When they had all picked, they ordered and waited silently for their food. They ate in silence for a while before beginning to catch up on everything, even though it had been only three days. They all still knew that the conversation that evening was going to end heavily, but they didn't know how heavily it would end.


	16. Here's What I Know

A/N – Here is part two of dinner with our favorite characters. Enjoy!

Disclaimer – I do not own NCIS or the characters.

**Chapter 16**

**Here's What I Know**

"That was great!" McGee said rubbing his stomach as the plates were cleared away and they sipped at their drinks.

There was a murmur of agreement between the six friends. Then the room went silent again. It had not been silent since they had first gotten their food and started to dig in about a half hour ago. This was a heavy silence and it was nearly deafening to those sitting in the small room. They all wanted to know what Abby knew, but no one wanted to be the first to ask. It was Ziva, who finally asked.

"What do you know Abby?"

"Yes," she said thoughtfully. "Well, Parsons is still around. We know that much and we were warned about that by Director Vance. Vance gave me a copy of a file that Parsons had on all of you. It isn't good at all. He is going to try to bring international espionage charges against Tony and Ziva. He is going to bring other charges against McGee, Tony, and Ziva. And he is still after Gibbs despite your attempt… except that it is no longer just the Gibbs we know. There was a new discovery made by Parsons and he interpreted it wrong and I'm sure of it."

"What makes you say that?" Tony asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Because one of the things he has is an active duty military record," Abby said. "It is a military record for Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs from 2006 to now. He's missing a lot of information, which probably means that whatever is going on is classified, but he is trying to break through that and take down the Commandant of the Marine Corps for whatever is going on. There is a problem though."

"What's the problem?" McGee asked.

"Well, Special Agent Gibbs has not been active for just about twenty years. And there is no record in this information of his time in the Middle East for Desert Storm. The person he is investigating is apparently a twenty four year old female who is also a Gunnery Sergeant in the Marines and has ties to both NCIS and people in Mossad apparently. I don't know who she is or how she is tied into all this, but it is my job to protect her if I can with evidence if I can find any. Director Vance's orders. That is where you three come in. Find information and get it to me so I can make the final call on what is useful and what is not. We need to know who this girl is," Abby rambled. "I just wish I could call Gibbs and ask what he knows. He hasn't left yet."

"Why can't you call Gibbs?" Tony asked.

"Vance's orders," Abby said with a pout. "You can't call him either. He would be furious if he found out we were sticking our noses in where they don't belong and it would probably only get you all in more trouble!"

They were silent for a moment. They agreed with her, of course, but they were in it for Gibbs. Tony looked at Ziva with a determined look on his face.

"This reminds me of when Mossad got you in trouble a year after you came to us," Tony said. "And we all met in Autopsy and agreed to help you, even though you told us not to and we were ordered not to."

Ziva smiled. "You do what you have to for family," she said quietly.

To that Abby raised her glass and smiled. "To family!" she said and they all drank to that. They were silent again for another moment. "So, that is not all that Parsons is after."

"What else could their be?"

"Okay, well here is the order of things. He is obviously after the team. He is looking into Vance. He is looking into the Commandant. He is also looking into this Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs, whoever she is and I am looking into her as well. And he is looking into another Marine who I guess is currently working alongside her. He is trying to find out all of who was involved in her life as well, since most of that is blacked out on her file."

"Who is working with her now and what is she working on?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know what she's working on, it's classified," Abby said. "But she is working with a First Sergeant David, or Da-veed, I'm not sure which."

Ziva trembled a little in Tony's embrace and everyone was looking at her. She was triggered by some memory that the others were afraid to ask about.

"What is it, Ziva?"

"Do you know the name of this First Sergeant?" Ziva asked lightly.

"I'm working on it, but most of his file is blacked out as well, Ziva," Abby said. "Why?"

Ziva didn't speak. She shook her head at them and looked to Tony, who was looking at her curiously.

"Later," she whispered to him.

"You're not going to share with the group? I will squeeze the information out of Tony later, then," Abby said with a pout on her face.

"No, you won't," Tony said. "What Ziva tells me in confidence stays in confidence."

"You know what, on second thought, I really don't like that you two are together now," Abby said frowning again. "I was all for it, until you started trusting each other so much that you are going to keep secrets from the rest of us about something. Now, I don't like this at all. I used to be able to blackmail anything out of either of you about the other one. I don't see that happening now."

"That and we don't work together anymore and we aren't even officially on a case," Tony said. "If we were and it were case related I am sure that Ziva would tell us all what she knew. But, as we are not working and this is not really a case, then it doesn't matter if she decides to keep it to herself this time."

Abby huffed in an angry way and then laughed at her own reaction. At least she understood what Tony was saying.

"So, that means Parsons is on a big job now," Abby continued as though there was no side note about all this. And as for Gibbs, I am not sure what he is working on. I know that it has something to do with the CIA and the FBI and Interpol, and Bodnar, and Parsons. But I don't know what it is. It is something that is bigger than any one single picture that we have seen so far in the last year, but it is all tied together somehow. Oh, and CIRay's name came up somewhere in there, but I have only just skimmed that part. It was fairly slow today, but I am by no means done with my research."

"You have worked hard today, Abby, toda," Ziva said happily. "We appreciate you keeping us updated. Perhaps we should make dinner a weekly thing."

"I agree to that," Ducky said. "Now, in my department. I have made a psychological profile of Parsons as we know him. He is persistent to say the least. He has taken down many prominent names in his effort to make a name for himself as an investigator and prosecutor, or whatever it is that he does, which is highly undefined as of right now. He shows many characteristics you would see in a serial killer. Except, that he uses his to take down important people who are protecting our government and the people that live here. I am almost certain that he is not who he says he is. There is hardly any background that we can find on him before a few years ago. I think this is far bigger than we think it is."

"Did you find anything on that radioactive head?" McGee asked, intrigued by the case they left behind.

"Not yet," Ducky said. "But we are working as hard as we can on that. The team seems to now consist of me, Abigail, and Mr. Palmer."

"Good team," Tony and Ziva said at the same time.

"So far yes. But, investigating is not our forte. You see I am a medical examiner and Palmer is my student. Abby is a forensics expert. It makes investigating difficult as we are all probies, as Tony would call us," Ducky said.

"You did an excellent job that time you lead the case, Ducky," Ziva said.

"Thank you, Ziva," he said quietly as another round of drinks came in for them.

They continued to talk and laugh and then agreed to meet at the same time and place next week to catch up on what they could find. They were each going to work on something that they had learned to see what they could find out on their own without breaking any laws or rules as civilians.

They continued to chatter long after the agreement was arranged. Ducky and Palmer had already left, which left Tony, Ziva, Abby, and McGee to themselves.

"So, McGee, how is Delilah?" Tony asked after a while.

"She flipped out because I don't have a job and broke up with me," McGee said to him, not sounding in the least bit sad over it.

"Oh, timmy!" Abby said and threw herself at him and pulled him into one of her bone-crushing hugs.

"Abby, can't breathe," McGee said.

"Sorry," she said looking ashamed.

Abby was a little on the drunk side. Tony and Ziva were fine and so was McGee. She was dealing with this in her own way. McGee had had enough of being drunk and experiencing what Tony usually went through when something went wrong. Tony and Ziva were lost in each other's eyes after a while and then decided it was time to go.

"Hey, McGee," Ziva said, calling him over to her, as she stood next to Tony, prepared already to go.

He came over with a confused look on his face.

"Yea?" he asked.

"Um… could you make sure Abby gets home safely. She is a little more drunk than I have ever seen her before," Ziva said. "I do not think she is taking this very well at all. Abby is not usually a heavy drinker. She'll want a Caf-Pow first thing in the morning and Asprin."

"You sound like you've gone through this with her before?" McGee said.

"Not to this extent," Ziva said. "Take care of her tonight and make sure she is at work on time tomorrow so that she does not end up in trouble with that Parsons person, or whoever he is."

"Will do, Ziva," he said. "By the way, I'm happy for you and Tony!"

"Thank you, McGee," Ziva said.

He had spent the night watching his two friends and how they interacted with each other. They were the same Tony and Ziva as always, but they were a little kinder to each other and had eyes for only each other. They still had their silent form of communication, although the glares had been removed and replaced with smiles instead. He could see now that they were truly in love, even if they would not tell each other that. He was really happy that they finally made their way toward each other. He was also certain that if they could pull off investigating without looking like they were investigating then they could work along side one another and he would be the proof to it if Gibbs told them no.

"Good night, McGee," Ziva said as Tony reached her side.

"Good night," he said smiling at them. "See you next week. If you get something big, call."

"You ready, sweet cheeks?" Tony asked, and Ziva smiled because the old nickname was now a term of endearment and not one of insult to her.

"I am Tony. Let's go home," she said and then realized that she had just indicated that his place was more home to her than her apartment had been. Her face flushed red as they left the building.

* * *

A/N – So, a little plotting, a little rule-breaking on the side, and some mystery from Ziva. Sounds like old times to me. I wonder what Ziva is thinking about when Abby is talking about the First Sergeant working with the mysterious Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs!


	17. Secrets Revealed

**Chapter 17**

**Secrets Revealed**

"So, let's go through this again," Tony said, sitting on the couch. "What do we know from Abby?"

"We have a marine by the name of Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs, she is twenty four and is majorly classified. She is associated with NCIS and Mossad," Ziva said. "Her current partner is First Sergeant David (Da-veed), who she is an assignment with somewhere. Abby is trying to get more information on her."

"So, we have to look somewhere else. What do we know about the First Sergeant David?"

"It is Da-veed," Ziva corrected. "I managed to find a little on him yesterday after we were done sleeping in."

Tony smiled at her and leaned over and gave her a kiss. They had to get this together soon so they could give McGee something to do since he was coming over tonight for dinner, along with Abby apparently, if she wasn't asked to stay at work.

"He is twenty six, and also highly classified," Ziva said with a sigh. "Alright, I know more about him than the internet has been able to tell me."

"How?"

"I have a small story to tell you. Please do not get mad at me for not sharing this earlier, Tony," Ziva pleaded, her eyes wide, hoping that Tony would forgive her ahead of time.

"Ziva, I have known you for eight years," Tony began. "I know that there are many things that you haven't told me, and that we only now just began to open up. Go on. I won't be angry."

"Well, I had a younger brother as well," Ziva said with a sigh. "Three years younger to be specific. My father told me a long time ago that he had died, but I learned later that was not the case. I met him when I was in Israel after being reassigned. We were staking out Somalia and the Ulman family. He was only a Sergeant at the time. His full name is Isaac David. He left Mossad and became an American citizen before I did, and he joined the Marines. There were many things that were left unsaid between the two countries that the higher ups know and I did not. Apparently Mossad and America have been having problems for years, since a little before I became a Liaison Officer. He warned me against trusting Rivkin and going to Morocco with him. I should have listened."

"So, First Sergeant David is your younger brother?" Tony asked.

"Yes," Ziva agreed. "I was pretty sure I knew the red-head, because she was in Israel at the time that I was. She was a familiar face, we'll put it that way, though she is a lot younger than I am. We were good friends, going through tough times together. We never spoke of our problems, just used each other to get away from them."

"What was her name?" Tony asked.

"Why? Do you have a gut feeling, Tony?" Ziva asked.

"I do," Tony said. "I feel that if they worked well together the marines would put them together again. Especially if they both have ties to Mossad and the marines and apparently NCIS."

"All I knew her as was Jen. I never thought to ask her for her full name," Ziva said sadly.

"Alright," Tony said. "We'll right down Jen as a temporary guess at a full name. Moving on. What does Parsons have on these two?"

"All it says in his files that Abby gave us is that she is suspected of international espionage," Ziva said. "As well as accessory to treason in 2005 in, oh my…."

"What?"

"In May of 2005. It says here in regards to the death of NCIS Special Agent Caitlyn Todd!" Ziva said. "It says that, with no source, that she was associated with Ari Haswari and the David family, specifically Eli David! That has to be Jen!"

"Okay," Tony said with a slight nod making a note on his pad. "Is that all the crimes she has committed according to Parsons?"

"That's all the crimes, but he has other things on her as well!" Ziva said. "Apparently she was involved with La Grenouille somehow and Director Shepard! He has a ton of personal information with absolutely no sources to it. I'm assuming they are not US sources. Who is Parsons? How did he get this information?"

"Let's move on, tell me what Parsons has on Gibbs," Tony said.

"Every case file as well as some marine files," Ziva said. "He could supposedly take Gibbs down except that many of these files are signed off by SECNAV, a Director, or the Commandant. So he is technically in the clear. He was using Gibbs to get to us, I think."

"Us being?"

"You and me mainly," Ziva said. "It seems that he is looking for evidence to bring international espionage charges against us. Tony this is bad!"

"We need to get that information from Abby!" Tony said suddenly. "What else do we know about Parsons as a person?"

"Well, he has no records before 2010," Ziva said. "There is no evidence that he ever existed before then. We will need Abby's help on that as well, or McGee's, except that hacking is illegal. We don't know where he was born, what nationality or race he is, what religion or anything. I don't know what to make of this, other than we are at a dead end with what little resources we have. We are going to have to go about this the old fashioned way, without fancy equipment. We are going to have to find someone else who knows him. He is associated with the CIA in many ways. We see a tie to Trent Kort and Ray Cruz. Kort seems to have tried to take him down, because apparently Kort is on his watch list as well."

"Then we will need to get all the information on Kort that we can."

"He seems very interested in Somalia and the Ulmans as well as the case of Agent Todd and everything on Hamas," Ziva said. "We need information on that as well."

"All right, let me make a list of things we need to gather data on," Tony said. "This is bigger than we thought."

"Absolutely. We need information on Arash Kazmi as well," Ziva said. "All I know is he is Iranian Intelligence. He died that day as well."

"Okay, so we have a list of who and what we need information on, are we missing anything as you go through that file?"

"The Reinosa Cartel and the Russian," Ziva said. "They are both mentioned in here in connection to both Gibbs. And Berlin in relation to Bodnar involving you, me, Gibbs, and Gibbs."

"Alright," Tony said. "We can talk about it tonight, then with the others and divide up the assignments. We need to do this for Gibbs."

"Apparently for more than one Gibbs," Ziva said. "Can you look up Jen Gibbs on your computer. Or Jennifer Gibbs. Or Jenny Gibbs. I want to see what comes up."

Tony opened his laptop and hit the power button. Ziva started pacing nervously in front of him as his computer booted. She heard it start and heard him hitting buttons and typing. After ten minutes he looked up at her. When she heard no more movement she looked at Tony.

"What?"

"There is a birth record that I found online," Tony said. "Jennifer Ann Gibbs, the daughter of Shannon Gibbs and Leroy Jethro Gibbs. She was born September 24, 1988. I also found an article stating that she was in a car crash in 1991 where her mother and sister, Kelly Gibbs, were killed. This links her to NCIS Special Agent Mike Franks and General Charles T. Ellison, who is now the Commandant of the Marine Corps. She was placed in social services since her father was at war in the Middle East, during Operation Desert Storm. The last known address for her was with a Jennifer Shepard, who was an NCIS Special Agent at the time in 1997. Then all traces of her disappear until I have an enlistment in September of 2006 to the Marine Corps for a Jennifer Ann Gibbs. Then, there is no more information about her online."

"It is as we thought then," Ziva said. "We have found out who she is. Add Mike Franks to your list and Jenny, as well as the Commandant of the Marine Corps."

"Great," Tony said. "This is just a short list."

"Yea," Ziva said with a sigh and closed his laptop for him. "Let's go do something before dinner. What do you think about a walk? Or a run? Or something to get my mind off this until I have to cook for you, me, McGee, and hopefully Abby?"

"I think that would be a wonderful option," Tony said. "It's only eleven, so why not walk and grab some lunch before we come back?"

"Sounds great!" Ziva said.

* * *

A/N – It looks like our friends all have some secrets! Ziva was keeping a few things to herself again, I see and Tony was completely okay with it! That is a little different. I wonder what we're going to learn as we go on. This case is, as suggested during the end of season ten, far bigger than we expected! I wonder what it is really about!


	18. Questions and Lies

**Chapter 18**

**Questions and Lies**

Her phone was beeping in her ear as she finished up her phone conversation with the Commandant of the Marine Corps. She had called to get information, and tell him of her assignment now. She was to work closely with him to get her job done, because there was apparently something about this girl that needed protecting. She had been planning on setting up a meeting with him tomorrow, but he had given her a lot of information that she needed and agreed to cooperate, since he realized what was going on at NCIS now, and with him as well, according to what he said.

"I'm really sorry, Commandant Ellison," Abby said into the phone. "Director Vance is calling me and I have to go."

"Good luck, Miss Sciuto," he said on the other end. "I will give you a call to meet with you some time and discuss this further in a location that is secured since much of it is classified."

"Thank you, sir," Abby said and switched the phone over to the other line. "Abby."

"Hi, Abby. It's Director Vance. I need you in my office now. We seem to have a problem. I need you also to bring Ducky," Vance said in her ear.

"I'll be right up with him, Director," Abby said faithfully as she hung up the phone and ran from her lab for the elevator.

She stepped in and pressed the button that took her down to the autopsy room. She stepped inside and saw that Ducky and Palmer were sitting in his office and talking. They didn't have a case and had determined that they could not find anything else on the radioactive head until there was a body to autopsy fully. She hurried over to the office and knocked as she opened the door.

"Ducky!" she said sharply and he turned to face her with wide eyes, having been startled by her sudden presence. "We need to go up to Vance's office. He just called me now. Apparently there is a problem. He wants to talk to you and me."

"Yes, my dear, Abby!" he said and got up. "I shall return shortly, Mr. Palmer!"

Palmer nodded to them and they left together, at a slower pace since Ducky was older and did not move as fast as Abby did when she was in a hurry. They stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the floor that the director's office was on. They waited silently as the elevator rose up the floors. It dinged open as it stopped and they stepped out together and made their way to Vance's office.

Abby waited patiently while the secretary talked to Vance on the phone. Then, she opened the door for them and let them inside. As they entered they noticed that Parsons was sitting at the small conference table that was in the office. Abby sighed heavily. What did the devil want now?

"Director," Abby said politely as she sat down opposite from Parsons. Ducky joined her on the same side of the table, on the other side of Vance.

It was like a line had been drawn. It was a them versus us line and it was invisible. But, Parsons was definitely them and Vance, Abby, and Ducky were us. They stared at each other for a few moments before Vance stood up between his two employees, looking straight at Parsons.

"I don't know what you want with these two," Vance said. "But, I will leave you to discuss. If I hear anything out of the ordinary, I am coming back in. Both of you listen to me!"

Abby and Ducky looked up at Vance as his eyes shifted back and forth between them. He smiled slightly.

"Tell him whatever he wants to know. And, do not lie!" Vance said. "If you need me I will be right outside the office, listening to the whole conversation. Just be honest with him! He is not here to get you two, I hope."

"I hope not, too," Abby whispered to herself as Vance yanked at his suit top and left the office.

Abby and Ducky now turned back to Parsons who was smiling at them. He looked back and forth for a moment and had a note pad in front of him. That made them both a little more nervous, knowing that he was going to ask a few questions that they didn't want the answer to.

"I need to know what you know about Shannon and Kelly Gibbs and their deaths," Parsons said.

They looked at each other and Ducky cleared his throat. "They were witnesses in a murder investigation. They were cooperating with NCIS and had protection from NCIS. They were killed in a car crash when a sniper shot the NCIS agent that was driving them. It is sad."

"What about after that? What did Gibbs do? How did he react?"

"I don't know," Ducky said. "He was not an agent at the time. He was a marine."

"So, Gibbs was a marine. Was his title Gunnery Sergeant?"

"Yes," Abby said. "He hasn't been active in a long time, though."

"Well, whatever case they have sent him on, makes him active again. Apparently they needed a second sniper. So, he is active again. Do you know anything about another Gibbs that is still alive and also a sniper in the marines and a Gunnery Sergeant?"

"No," Abby said, lying through her teeth as she had just received information about the other Gibbs.

"Do you know anything about First Sergeant David?"

Abby sighed. She was almost certain that it was pronounced Da-veed, but she wasn't going to say anything now. "No," she repeated.

"What about Anthony DiNozzo Jr. and Ziva David?"

"What do you want to know about them?" Abby asked.

"Are they lovers to the best of your knowledge?" Parsons asked.

"No," Ducky said, lying to the investigator. "At least not as of the time they left here. We have not heard anything to the contrary either."

"What did they do in Berlin?"

"They were there to catch Ilan Bodnar who murdered Eli David, the Director of Mossad, and Jackie Vance, who was our Director's wife," Abby said. "They caught his brother, who confessed to being involved, Yaniv Bodnar."

"Who sent them there?"

"They sent themselves," Ducky said, knowing that was a lie.

"Gibbs didn't agree to the mission?" Parsons asked.

"He signed it, but no, he didn't agree with it and didn't realize that it was off-bounds," Abby said.

"What do you know about the death of Ilan Bodnar?" Parsons asked.

"It was an accident," Ducky said. "I personally did the autopsy. Yes, he and our Ziva fought, but she did not push him."

"How can you tell that from an autopsy?" Parsons asked curiously.

"There would have been tell tale signs that he had been pushed. It would have been in the positioning of his landing and there would have been marks on him, suggesting that he was pushed over a railing that high. There were no such marks," Ducky said.

"How do I know you're not covering up for Ziva?"

"You can take a look at the pictures, if you would like," Ducky said. "You could also take the pictures to another Medical Examiner or exhume the body and get it looked at a second time."

"Okay," Parsons said with a curious expression on his face. "What do you know about Mossad Operative Adam Eschel?"

"Nothing," Abby said.

"Did you know that Special Agent David slept with him when she was in Israel?"

"No," they both said together.

"Did you know that he was also in Berlin?"

"No," they both said.

"What do you know about Ziva's assignment in Somalia?" he asked.

"I know that she was captured there and was on a mission that her father sent her on to kill Saleem Ulman," Abby said. "Her father was the Director of Mossad and sent his agents all over the place, no matter how dangerous the assignment was."

"And she came back?"

"We rescued her," Abby explained. "We rescued her and took out the threat."

"What do you know about Hassein Ulman?"

"There's another Ulman?" Abby asked, shooting her eyebrows up into her bangs in shock, even though she knew this name already.

"I'll take that as nothing," Parsons said with a smile on his face and making a note on his pad. "What do you know about the conversation between Eli David and Arash Kazmi?"

"There was a conversation between the two? I thought Arash Kazmi was Iranian Intelligence? I thought he was a suspect in Eli's murder!" Abby said, feigning further shock, since everyone knew at NCIS that they had had a conversation of peace.

"I'll take that as nothing," Parsons said with a frown this time. "What do you know about the death of Ari Haswari?"

"Gibbs killed him," Ducky said. "It said so in his report, anyway. That is also what he told me."

"Nothing," he said quietly. "What did you know about Ari's link with Hamas?"

"Only that he wanted to take down Eli David," Abby said. "He was in deep cover in Hamas and turned Hamas."

"Thank you," Parsons said. "What do you know about Trent Kort?"

"He is a CIA agent," Abby said. "Why?"

"What do you know about Ray Cruz?"

"He was a CIA agent," Ducky said. "And he was also accused of murder, but not convicted."

"Now, I need to know," Parsons continued on, unfazed by anything. "Why did you call the Commandant of the Marine Corps?"

"Because I was told to find out something," Abby said. "And I was also told not to talk about it."

"What were you told to find out, Miss Sciuto?"

"Not to talk about it," Abby repeated.

"Who told you that?"

"Does it matter?" Abby asked.

"Yes. Is Gibbs still working with you? Are you in contact with him or any of the other aforementioned people?"

"No," she said quietly.

"Okay, that is all for now, Miss Sciuto and Doctor Mallard," he said standing up. "We will be seeing each other again, I can assure you of that! Have a wonderful rest of the day!"

He left and Director Vance came back in, having heard every single word of the conversation between his two and Parsons. He was concerned and they could both tell. He sighed as he sat down.

"We need to stop him. I hope you two have a plan?" he asked. "Are you using Ziva, Tony, and Tim?"

"Yes," they said together.

"And, we apparently have a lot to look into," Abby concluded. "They will not be doing anything that would be considered to be illegal."

"Alright. Now, you two go and confer with the other three."

* * *

A/N – I wonder what Parsons is really up to! Why is he still sticking his nose in at NCIS if the case has left NCIS? Maybe he knows that Abby knew something about everyone involved.


	19. On the Same Page

A/N – This chapter contains more "work" for our friends. But also some important foreshadowing to a future chapter.

Disclaimer – I do not own NCIS or the characters on the show.

**Chapter 19**

**On the Same Page**

They had finally finished dinner. They were sitting their when Ziva came back into the room with Tony, they had just cleared the table of the food that they had finished. Abby pulled out a notepad and so did Tony as they sat down again at Ziva's dining table. It was the first time she had been to her apartment since she had worked at NCIS still and it was a little strange to be there, but the dining room table was better for sitting and talking than the floor of Tony's apartment, since he didn't have enough seating for the four of them.

"I have a list of things I want to investigate," Tony announced.

"Okay, you first. We probably have some crossovers and some that I wasn't aware of," Abby said.

"And you probably have some that we couldn't come up with," Tony agreed. "Well, we should make a profile of each of us, me, McGee, Ziva, Abby, Ducky, and Gibbs. Then we need to make a profile of Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs and First Sergeant David…."

"So it is Da-veed?" Abby asked. "How do you know?"

"Something Ziva told me, but we'll get there," Tony said.

"We also want to make a profile of Commandant Ellison, since he is being targeted as well, along with Special Agent Trent Kort, who is also being targeted by Parsons," Tony said. "Those are all the people being targeted that we know of."

"Then other category. Some of these a bad people and some are dead people or events," Ziva said. "We need to profile Arash Kazmi, the Russian, Ilan and Yaniv Bodnar, Ari Haswari, Mike Franks, and Jenny Shepard. We need to gather intel on the Reinosa Cartel, Somalia, Hamas, and the operations that have taken place in Paris and Berlin."

"We also need to profile Adam Eschel, and I'm not sure where he falls right now. Hassein Ulman, which was just a name thrown out, but I'm assuming he is a bad guy. And Ray Cruz. I'm not sure where he falls right now either," Abby said.

"Okay, we will call that Abby's category," Ziva said. "We should take it one person investigating one thing at a time."

"Ziva and I already have all the information on the younger Gibbs and younger David," Tony said. "Maybe not all, but enough for a profile at this point."

"You do, how?" Abby asked. "I have information, too, perhaps we could fill in some blanks."

"Great, let's start with the younger Gibbs!" McGee said, pulling out his own notepad now and preparing to start a profile of the girl.

"Her name is Gunnery Sergeant Jennifer Ann Gibbs. She is twenty four and was born in Stillwater, Pennsylvania," Tony said.

"Her father is Leroy Jethro Gibbs and her mother was Shannon Gibbs. She also had a sister named Kelly Gibbs," Ziva said.

"She was in the same car accident as Shannon and Kelly, which killed them, but only broke her arm in 1991," Tony went on. "And she was then moved to a house in Washington, DC with Special Agent Jennifer Shepard. The person in charge of that move was Mike Franks."

"How do you know this?" Abby asked, clearly stunned.

"All Parsons' file said was foreign intelligence," Ziva said. "Continuing on. From there she was moved to Israel in 1997. I know that because she was a dear friend of mine, and that was just the pieces put together. She stayed with my family, Eli David, Katia David, Ari Haswari, me, Tali David, and my little brother Isaac David."

"You had another brother?" Abby asked in awe.

"Yes, we will get there," Ziva said.

"She was with Mossad from the time she was eight until she was eighteen, at which time she moved back to the United States and enlisted in the US Marine Corps. Then we lost all track of her other than she was sighted in 2008 outside of Somalia in Morocco."

"That is where I have more information," Abby said. "She has been on several missions with the Marine Corps that have involved Mossad. She did this because she had ties to Mossad, which I see that you have already observed. She is highly classified because of the things that she does with the Marine Corps. She is a sweet young girl, with a determination like no other. She lives by a set of rules that the Commandant says seems to make her a devoted Marine like no other, but also devoted to doing what is good. He accused the rules of being a bit much for something to live by. He said that she is a hard working individual but has a playful side like he has never seen before, as though she lost a part of her childhood. However, she plays in a very grown up way. And is a ball of fire, according to him."

"Great, thanks Abby," McGee said as he looked over what we had.

"Here is the only picture that I have of her alone. It was taken on her sixteenth birthday. You may want to mark down that it is eight years out of date."

"Now, about the First Sergeant," Abby said.

"His name is Isaac David. He is twenty six years old and was born in Haifa, Israel," Ziva said. "He is my little brother. He grew up with me, Tali, Ari, and later Jen. His father is Eli David and his mother is Katia David. I know after talking to him in the summer of 2008 that he left Mossad when he was nineteen to become a US citizen and then he joined the Marines. That is all I know of him. Here is the most recent picture I have of him. He is eighteen in the picture."

"Great, thanks!" McGee said.

"Now, I think we should meet back here on Friday with a profile of ourselves," Abby said. "Or perhaps we should pick another person to profile so it is unbiased."

"No, we can do ourselves," Ziva said. "If we are struggling with that then we are untrained investigators. We will see you on Friday."

"Great," Abby said. "Get all you can. If more information comes to light about these two then we will call McGee and let him know. He can be in charge of keeping the profiles. You two should bring a laptop next time so we can have a proper campfire."

"Good thinking Abby," Tony said with a smile on his face.

* * *

Finally it was quiet in Ziva's apartment again. Her and Tony had washed all of the dishes and turned out all of the lights. They were heading back to Tony's apartment again, as that had become more of a home to them than anywhere else. They had silently agreed that her apartment was for work and his was for pleasure and that was the way it would be kept. They would go back to her apartment the following day to do their profiles and then return to his place.

They drove in silence as it sank in that they had found out a lot of information in one day that they didn't have to search so hard for. The other name that Abby had mentioned had made Ziva nervous. She was now peering out the side of Tony's car window and wringing her hands together nervously. Tony had not seen this behavior in Ziva in a long time. He could tell that something big was on her mind.

He parked the car and before getting out, he turned to face her. She had not even noticed that the car stopped. He took her hands in his own and looked at her until she looked at him. Her eyes were telling him that she was a wreck and something was definitely bothering her.

"What's on your mind, Zi?" he asked gently.

She couldn't help but smile at the new nickname and it managed to distract her for a second. That was what Jen used to call her, she remembered suddenly and that made her smile wider. But, then, she remembered the last time she heard that nickname used. It was through a whole in a cell wall back in Somalia and it was just in a whisper. It hit her that Jen was in Somalia when she was.

"The name Hassein Ulman," she said quietly. "It's bringing me back a little ways."

"To?" Tony asked, without thinking, then his eyes widened. "I'm sorry. That was stupid."

"Somalia," she answered anyway. "I am thinking of Somalia. I think I want to talk about it, Tony."

"You don't have to if you don't want to, Zi," he whispered to her, still holding both of her hands.

"I think I want to," she said again. "But not in the car. I think it's important to talk about it now. I also want to share with you, if you are willing to listen to it. It might change how you feel about me though."

"Nothing can change how I feel about you, Ziva," he whispered to her. "Nothing in this world could change that. I... I love you, Zi!"

She smiled at him and pressed her lips to his. "I love you too, Tony," she whispered back and smiled again, as though nothing could make her happier than hearing him say this. It was finally out in the open as they were about to talk about the most dreadful thing ever, when they both definitely knew that they loved each other. It was fitting.

"Let's go upstairs and talk," Tony whispered to her, kissing her on the lips again and not really looking forward to the conversation, but knowing that he had wanted to know for a long time and was finally getting to hear her talk about it, which he knew was not going to be easy for her no matter when she decided to open up about it.

They left the car and Tony took her hand immediately and guided her toward the elevator. They were silent all the way up and Tony led her to the apartment door. He carefully unlocked it and let them inside. He turned to face her and saw that her face looked as though she were in pain and as though she were about to share her worst nightmares with him.

He had, of course, seen the scars and kissed them and stroked them, but he was going to hear how they had gotten there, though he knew that they were all from one place and one time. He sighed and led her to the couch. It was time to talk about the most painful thing for each of them. It was a time when he had thought that he had lost her forever.


	20. Painful Hope

A/N – More Gibbs and more memories and a little assignment (only a very little). I hope you all like it.

**Chapter 20**

**Painful Hope**

He couldn't believe that it had been a whole week since he had been asked to do this mission. It was Wednesday night again. It was amazing that time was still going on. He had just met with the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Charles Ellison and he had a whole file to read and get very familiar with. It was a file that was not blacked out. A.J. was not with him tonight. He was thankful to be at his cabin in the woods, where no one could find him. He was thankful to be away from everything.

He looked at the stack of thick manila folders in front of him. Vance was not kidding when he said that this assignment ran far deeper than he had ever imagined. This was probably going to take him the whole month to get through and get familiar with, then he would have to get to work, because he was meeting with the Commandant in one month exactly. It was difficult to think about this, because he didn't know if he would get through with this or not. Gibbs could remember the first time that he felt this overwhelmed.

**_He stood in his living room in Alexandria, Virginia. He had just tucked his daughter, Kelly, into bed. She had recently celebrated her sixth birthday, though the party had been put off for a while, because of the birth of his other daughter, who he now held in his arms. Today was Christmas Eve. Tiny, three-month-old Jennifer was going to celebrate her first Christmas and after New Years Gibbs was going back out on assignment again._**

**_He hoped that it wouldn't be long, because he had two beautiful daughters and a very beautiful wife that he wanted very much to be home with all the time. He could hear the shower turn off as he stood there with the sleeping girl in his arms. He looked down at her._**

**_She was tiny for a three month old. She was at the fifth percentile on the charts at her appointment a few days ago, but they were not concerned. Kelly had always been on the bigger side of the charts, so Gibbs was a little overwhelmed that his two girls could be so different. She was delicate, he thought. But, tough. She had been born six weeks early and was a tough little thing. She had somehow been perfectly healthy, although she had been tiny._**

**_They had struggled at first, learning how to care for two girls, one of which was a premature child and had extra doctor's appointments to make sure she was all right. But, he loved this little girl with all his heart. Somehow, his heart had just opened up and made room for her. Jen was a whole world in herself, in his mind. She was marvelous._**

**_He looked at her sleeping form in his arms. She was probably the size of an average one-month-old now. She had a small layer of dark-red hair growing on her scalp, though there was a bald patch right on the back of her head, which now rested in his arm. She had the most precious smile he had ever seen and it was completely toothless which melted his heart. She also had a wonderful little giggle when things were really good for her. She was not a fussy child and she slept great. She was strong, too, like a little marine. He couldn't wait to see her personality develop, if he wasn't away for too long._**

**_He thought about his other daughter, Kelly. Kelly was very girly. She was the delicate one in reality. She had not been overly strong, but always strong enough. She was a smart and beautiful little girl and knew far too much. She was organized and kind. She was very sweet and caring as well. She loved her little sister very much and her mother and father. Gibbs knew this. He smiled at the thought of how very different his girls were. He knew that Jen was going to be the stubborn one and Kelly was going to the precious one. But, they were both precious to him. They were his and Shannon's girls and they were the most important thing in this world. Leaving them would be harder this time than ever before._**

**_"What's eating you, Jethro?" Shannon asked as she stepped into the room._**

**_"I'm just really going to miss my girls while I'm gone," he said looking right into her eyes._**

**_Shannon, he thought. Red hair, bad temper, but very amazing. She was a strong woman, who was stubborn as anything he had ever seen. She had amazing brown eyes and beautiful waves in her light red hair. Her skin was fair and freckled. She was the prettiest thing in his life. She was a ball of fire. She was always playful and could cheer him up in anyway at anytime. Just the sight of her cheered him up._**

**_"I know, love, I know," she whispered to him, then she smiled that smile that revealed her dimples, which were one of his weaknesses. "Let's get this little love off to bed, shall we?"_**

**_"Absolutely, my love," he whispered and kissed her on the cheek._**

**_He knew that she could see how overwhelmed he was by the thought of leaving and the thought of the changes that would happen while he was gone. But, she just washed away his worried for the moment._**

Gibbs pulled the top file off the stack of manila folders that he had been given. The name on it read "Gunnery Sergeant Jennifer Ann Gibbs: Active 2006-Present." He opened the front page and saw a picture inside and smiled at what he saw.

In front of his eyes he saw a young lady with dark-red hair and tanned skin. She had those bright blue eyes that he remembered from the girls' childhood. She was smiling in the picture with a glint of happiness in her eyes. She had those amazing dimples still and her mother's smile. This girl was all his and he couldn't help but smile and cry at the sight of the pretty woman that his daughter had turned out to be. He turned the next page of the file and saw her basic information.

He read that she was on assignment in Haifa, Israel, gathering intelligence for an operation to which he was now involved in and he smiled a little further. It listed him as her father and Shannon as her mother. It also listed Kelly as her sister. His eyes grew wetter and wetter as he read on.

He finally had all of the information that had been blacked out in her file. It was amazing to finally know all that information. He flipped to the next page and saw the file about her car accident in 1991 and an account from her on the statement. He had a flash of anger as he read it, and could remember having a specific conversation that had made him suspicious in the past, when he was still too hurt by her disappearance to ask questions.

**_"I just want to know what happened to my little Jen!" he said to his friend Mike Franks, who was now his boss._**

**_"Listen, probie, sometimes things happen for a reason that we can't understand!" Franks told him. "I don't know where the girl is!"_**

**_"But, you were the case leader for that investigation!" Gibbs shouted at his boss. "I want to know what happened to her. That's my little girl! She wasn't dead, otherwise we would have buried her too!"_**

**_"Last I saw her was when they took her to the hospital probie. I don't know what happened to her from there," Franks said. "Listen, I've got a rule, do you want to hear it or not?"_**

**_"Sure," Gibbs said, feeling resigned._**

**_"If you want to find something, you follow it," he said in all seriousness. "So, go follow your heart and find that little girl, just don't let it interfere with work!"_**

**_"Thanks, Mike," Gibbs said._**

**_"Hey, probie?"_**

**_"Yea, boss?"_**

**_"Just remember that things happen in their own time," Mike said. "Everything happens for a reason and sometimes we don't know what that reason is. So, be careful and don't get discouraged if you don't find her right away. If she's still out there, you'll meet her again. I can feel it. It's a gut feeling of mine."_**

**_"Thanks," Gibbs said as he walked out of the office._**

Franks had known about Jen being alive and he had said nothing. Apparently he had also known where she was. It was listed here that she had a foster mother for six years. Jennifer Shepard was her foster mother. Another wave of anger hit him as he realized that Jenny had known about his little Jen all that time and had not mentioned her. But, he also realized that the time that Jenny had lost Jen Gibbs was when she had been assigned to Paris and she had not seen the girl again since. He wondered what happened to the girl afterwards.

Another memory hit him of when he came home from that tour. And that was the day that she took her first steps.

**_"Finally!" shouted a young Kelly as she saw her father walking through the door in his Marine uniform. She ran over and hugged her father._**

**_"Dada!" said a little tiny voice._**

**_Gibbs smiled. This little girl, who he had left behind six months ago knew that he was her father. He knew that Shannon would insist on showing her pictures every day. He hugged Kelly first, because she was there and then went to pick up the little girl sitting on the floor, but she pulled herself up to a stand on the furniture as Shannon came back into the room. Shannon stopped at the sight of this, but she spoke._**

**_"Jenny's been doing that for about a month now, right after she started to get up on her knees. Usually she just rolls from one place to the next, but sometimes she cruises along, using the furniture for support," Shannon explained with a smile on her face._**

**_The baby turned from the couch and looked at her father and removed her hand from the couch. She wobbled a little, which caused both Shannon and Gibbs to lean toward her and then stop themselves. Little Jenny then determinedly put one foot in front of the other and took four wobbly steps until she was clinging onto her father's legs._**

**_There were tears in his eyes and he wiped them away quickly and picked up the little girl._**

**_"Mommy, she walked, finally!" Kelly squealed to her mother._**

**_"Yes, she did," Shannon said, crying._**

**_Gibbs was admiring the beautiful little girl, who was still very small, but still very strong. The girl was giggling and playing with his chin and face and hair. She was completely lost in her father now that he was more than a picture._**

**_"That's my strong little marine," he whispered. "I missed you, sweet pea!"_**

**_She girl squealed in joy and placed her head on her father's chest, snuggling into him and placing a hand on his cheek as though to show her affection for this man that she had not met with since she was three months old._**

**_"Semper fi, sweet pea," he whispered to her, tears of joy glistening in his eyes._**

The memory flooded through his mind causing tears and a smile to show up on his face. She was really alive. She was currently in Israel, but that didn't matter now. She was alive and she was really there all these years, that he had doubted himself that he would ever find her again or hear about her, even.

He knew that it was not his little sweet pea anymore, but she was definitely still his little marine and he could tell that by the title that she had in front of her name on this manila folder. He closed the folder for now, because there were only so many memories that he could face in a given day of the daughter that he had suspected was dead but had never actually had the closure on.

He moved to a new file leaving Jen's file a little separated from the others, as though it were the most important and precious of the files ever. He hadn't read the car accident report thoroughly though and had only scanned it. He opened the file again to read it.

As he read he learned a few more things and couldn't suppress the whispers to himself now that he read through it.

"Kelly gave her life for her sisters," he said, staring at the line that told him that. "If she hadn't laid across her lap then all three of my girls would be dead."

It was like some piece of Kelly had known that that day and he knew it, despite the fact that he would never get to talk to her again. He smiled again to himself and closed the file once more.

* * *

A/N – Gibbs found hope again! He knows that his younger daughter, Jen, is alive still and a marine! He also knows where she is! That's pretty exciting. He's got a lot to learn still, though.


	21. Opening

A/N – This chapter is a strong T (for references to rape and torture). Read responsibly!

Disclaimer – I do not own NCIS or the characters.

**Chapter 21**

**Opening**

Ziva sat down on the couch and pulled her feet up toward her and hugged her knees. She stared ahead at the blank television screen in front of her. Tony slowly moved to sit beside her, seeing how vulnerable she already was. She watched him with just her eyes as he sat right next to her and put a hand on her back, rubbing slow circles there. She took a big breath in and held it for a second with her eyes closed and then slowly released the breath.

When she opened her eyes again she turned to face Tony. He was waiting patiently, knowing how difficult this was going to be for her, and also knowing that it was going to be difficult to listen to. He had only imagined what had gone on over in Somalia. But, now he was going to hear it for himself. He was nervous and he could see that she was too. He pulled her into a hug and held her tightly for a second, allowing her to decide when it was time to let go.

When she pulled back from him, she kept her hands in his and looked him in the eyes. She took another steadying breath and then began her story.

"When Director Vance reassigned all of us, I was sent home to Israel," Ziva said. "I was staking out a potential threat in Africa, though we did not know exactly where he was. I was told the last name Ulman, and that was it. I learned that there were two brothers, who were working together to gather information on multiple countries and train terrorists to infiltrate these countries. Their names were Saleem and Hassein Ulman. My partner at the time was Michael Rivkin.

"We were sent to Morocco to stake out a bar and that was when one of his terrorists, who was also a US soldier blew up the bar. Rivkin abandoned me there when he saw the bomb and left me to die. I should have known then, that Mossad was not to be trusted after having worked with NCIS for so long," Ziva said, lowering her gaze and feeling guilty.

She was silent for a moment, while she collected her thoughts. There was a lot to share. But, she had to begin at the painful beginning and work her way to the unbearable ending.

"When Rivkin was sent here I suspected what his assignment was, but I was too stubborn to see it your way, even though that was how I saw it. I thought you were simply jealous of him," Ziva said. "But, Tony, I never loved him."

"I thought…."

"No, Tony. Never. I pretended to love him. Just as I pretended to love Ray. My heart has always belonged to you, Tony, since the first day I met you," Ziva said. "I was simply appeasing my father by dating Rivkin. When I dated Ray I was trying to convince myself that it was possible to forget what I felt about you. I was wrong."

Tony smiled at her. This was the light part of the conversation and the heavy part was coming soon.

"The reason I was so angry at you for killing Rivkin was not because I loved him, it was because I knew my father was going to make me choose. He was going to make me choose between NCIS and Mossad. He was going to make me choose between the United States, which is my home and Israel, which was my homeland," Ziva went on. "I knew that he was going to make me replace Rivkin on the mission he was supposed to go on to dislodge the terrorists in Somalia. I was doomed the moment that Rivkin's heart stopped beating."

"I'm sorry," Tony whispered.

"I do not blame you, Tony," Ziva said. "I started to, but I was never really mad at you. I was mad at Rivkin and my father. They are the reason this happened, not you. You had my back, something that my father or anyone else in Mossad has never done. You were there for me when all others would have given up a long time before that. I appreciated what you did."

Tony looked at her confused and she looked into his eyes and nodded slightly to him. He understood now. She loved him then. She was grateful that he had never given up and wasn't used to it. It had scared her. Tony gently brushed some hair out of her face.

"When we were in Israel, I was terrified Tony," Ziva said. "My father asked me to choose, as I knew he would. I was terrified of what Mossad would do to me if I did not choose them, but I knew where my home was. I chose Mossad out of fear not out of loyalty. My father could see a hint of this in my eyes, so he used that mission to make me prove my loyalty. We get orders and even if we do not like them, we follow them. That is what we were trained to do in Mossad."

"So, he sent you to Somalia?" Tony asked.

"He sent me to Somalia with a specific purpose. The purpose he told me was not his true reasons for sending me. He told me that they were a threat to him, which they were not. They were a threat to the United States, but not yet. He wanted me to get captured. He wanted them to break me. He wanted them to break my ties with America and return me home safely," Ziva said, feeling her eyes welling up with tears now at the horrible things that she had dealt with from her father.

Tony's eyes were watery too. He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. She smiled at him, through the tears that were threatening to fall.

"I learned that one of the first days that I was there. Saleem received a phone call from my father while I was being interrogated in Somalia. But, I will get to that," Ziva said sadly. "I went on the Democles from Aqaba. We were supposed to land in Tanzania, but the ship was sunk near Aldabra Island. We landed on the island and found a transport to the border between Tanzania and Kenya. The two I was with were injured. They had betrayed the trust of the crew and given us away, which was the cause of the ship's demise. Malachi and Ben-Gidon could not go any further. I was forced to go on alone toward the terrorist."

Ziva stopped for a breath remembering the phone call that she had made to her father that day.

**_"Ziva, what is it?" Eli asked._**

**_"Abba, Malachi Ben-Gidon is injured, he cannot go on. I will wait here for back up."_**

**_"No, my Ziva," Eli said. "You must go on before they notice you where you are and who you are. Word will get around if you linger too long and they will be ready for us. You are strong, Ziva. You succeed, or you will be taken care of. Is that clear?"_**

**_"Yes, Abba," I said with a sigh. "What will the others do?"_**

**_"They will wait for rescue," he said._**

She couldn't wait, but they could. It had not made sense to her at the time, but she knew the reason why now. Eli David did not want his daughter to have back up. This was a punishment for her, and not a chance to prove herself at all.

"When I got to Somalia, it was not difficult to find the terror camp," Ziva stated. "I was close, Tony. I had gotten so close. I had killed twelve of his men and I was face to face with him. When I was about to pull the trigger someone knocked me out from behind. When I woke up again I was tied to a chair and looking into his face as he laughed at me. That was when he called my father."

**_"Hello, Eli, old friend!" he said into the phone, which he had put on speaker so I could hear. "I wanted you to know that I have your precious daughter here. It seems as though she was sent to kill me."_**

**_"Never, Saleem," Eli said happily into the phone. "I wanted her captured, so yes I sent her with the intention of her thinking she was there to take you out. What I want you to do is break her. Break her of her ties with the country you so hate, and the agency you so hate. She is tied to NCIS of the United States and I do not like it. Break her, no matter the cost. If you cannot break her, then I will come myself and take care of her."_**

**_"Very good, Eli," Saleem said into the phone. "Would you like a word with her?"_**

**_"No. Just do your part. I do not pay you for nothing," Eli said into the phone. "Shalom old friend."_**

**_"Shalom indeed," Saleem said and hung up the phone._**

"He was paying Saleem to break me," Ziva said to Tony. "I was led astray again and that was when I knew that Mossad was the biggest mistake of my life."

There were tears now falling from Ziva's eyes, but her voice never wavered or faltered as she spoke. She still looked strong as ever. So, Tony just continued to hold her hand and rub circles into the back of it, urging her gently to continue.

"That was when he drugged me and questioned me. He beat me, as I'm sure you know, since you were there for all of twenty four hours yourself," Ziva explained. "But that was just the beginning of him trying to break me. I hardly slept and I hardly ate the whole time I was there. There was video footage leaving the small cell that I lived in. They were keeping tabs on me at all hours of the day and night and sending such footage off to my father to see what I was doing. It was several weeks, perhaps two months of this ritual before it changed. That was the easiest part of my stay there."

She stopped again and looked at Tony. He could see desperation in her eyes. She wanted to continue on, but this was the beginning of the difficult part. Ziva stood up off the couch and removed her shirt. Tony sat and watched her. She sat back down on the couch with her back to him. He could the other scars, and thicker too. It was light against her dark skin. He had never seen the scar that clearly before, though he knew that it was there, as he had seen her back recently.

She felt his fingers run along the scar and then was surprised when he kissed it and pulled her back into him. She rested her head on his chest as she continued to speak.

"That was from flogging," she said quietly. "They tied my hands above my head and pressed me face first against a wall, so that I could not move or get away. They were good with their aim and got the same spot every time. The lash of the whip stung and burned and bled, but that was nothing compared to what I was feeling inside as I felt myself beginning to break under the constant pressure of torture. This went on for about a week and then he decided to give me something."

Ziva got up and turned around again. She pulled the left edge of her pants down past her hip bone. There were the marks and the initials. SU was engraved into her hip with ink. Tony brushed it with his thumb and pulled her closer to him by her hips, a tear falling from his eyes and he pressed his lips to the initials, closing his eyes as he felt her pain. The tears were falling freely from Ziva's eyes now. She sat back down and looked at him. She reached up gently and wiped the tears from his cheeks, with a small hint of a smile on hers as she cried openly.

"He wanted me to have something to 'remember' my time there by," Ziva said. "At first they used a pen to carve it into my skin, then a knife with ink on it. Then needles. It is tattooed there permanently. I will have those initials forever."

"What… what are the straight marks above it?" Tony asked, afraid to know.

Ziva's eyes grew dark at his question. She closed her eyes and allowed the tears to escape her. She did not want to talk about this part particularly, but she knew that he had as much right to know as anyone else did. She opened her eyes again and looked at Tony.

"They got tired of waiting for me to talk," Ziva said slowly and clearly, trying hard to control her voice, hearing it shaking and quivering with emotion. "Saleem took me to a new room… a room that I knew what it was used for. There was another girl in this room that made it more obvious what this room was used for. I will never forget this girl and her stories. But, before I can get to her, let me tell you what happened before I got the chance to talk to her.

"Saleem held me by my tied hands, which were tied in front of me that day and he threw me on my face on the floor and pressed a knee into my back, which was still sore from the flogging. He forced my arms above my head and chained my hands there. Then, he chained my feet to the floor. They were forced to be slightly bent… he went behind me… and he…."

She closed her eyes again, sobbed for a moment and opened them. Tony looked as though he were in pain too and his eyes were filled with tears just waiting to hear the words.

"He ripped the clothes from me and lifted my hips up off the ground and he used that position to… to… to…," Ziva stopped.

"He raped you," Tony whispered in understanding, tears silently flowing from his eyes, but unmistakable anger in his voice. "And made those marks on your hip."

Ziva nodded and then remembered the girl. As she saw her memory of that night she told Tony what she remembered of her conversation.

**_"Jen, what are you doing here?"_**

**_"Oh, you know, just hanging out having a good old time," she said sarcastically, not bothering to roll her eyes as she normally would have done._**

**_The red-head next to Ziva was tied in the same position she was and out of reach. She was just as unclothed as Ziva was. She had lost the light in her eyes, that normally shone there, but apparently not her fireball attitude that she always held, as though she was holding out for something, or daring someone to say the wrong thing._**

**_"But, what are you doing here?"_**

**_"My father sent me," Ziva whispered._**

**_"I was on an operation. It was supposed to be a quick in and out, no pun intended," the girl said, glancing her eyes down at the position both of them were stuck in. "We… my partner and I... were supposed to scope it and shoot the two in charge. But we were caught on our way up to the hill. I was sent here and I have not seen or heard him since my first night back in January."_**

**_"You have been here since January?" Ziva asked, shocked._**

**_"Not in this room. I've only been in this room since about May."_**

**_"That's still three months!" Ziva nearly shouted._**

**_"Well, you get used to it after a while," Jen said with what little of a shrug she could give in the position she was tied in. "Pretty sure my knee cap is broken, but other than that, well, who knows? That's all I can really feel at the moment. The pain of it dulls as you come to expect it, Ziva. But, what Mossad didn't prepare you for was the sense of loss, I'm sure."_**

**_Ziva looked at the girl. That was when she saw the loss in Jen's eyes. That was when she noticed that Jen was not who she used to be._**

"We were in that room together for a month," Ziva said. "Then, they pulled her from that room and put her somewhere else. I could occasionally hear screams. Sometimes in the middle of the night and other times in the middle of the day. They never tortured at night, so I could only assume it was nightmares or her letting it out. Her screams have haunted me since then. After another couple weeks they dragged her back into that room with me. Saleem told us we had three minutes to decide who stayed and who left, because he was not keeping both of us."

"And you chose her?"

"She chose me," Ziva said. "And I chose her. We argued about it. She was beaten worse than she had been when I got there. She was walking with a severe limp and she was clutching at her shoulder. Her face was black and blue and it looked like all the color had gone out of her, like when someone bleeds too much. Saleem ended up choosing in the end and let her go. I never saw her again. Then, the next day, they brought me to you."

Ziva's face was dark and the light in her eyes was gone. There were tears streaming down her face, but she was smiling at Tony. Tony could not quite understand her small smile, but he could definitely see her pain.

"I was happy to see you, Tony," she said. "I was happy to hear someone not taking things seriously after what I had been through, and after what my friend had been through. I was happy to hear your movie references and jokes. I was happy to see someone with some determination in their eyes. And, if you remember correctly, you told me that you couldn't live without me."

Tony smiled and pulled her into a hug and felt her lose control there. She sobbed for what felt like forever to both of them. Tony leaned his face into the crook of her neck and sobbed along with her for a while and then whispered reassuring comments in her ear. What got her to finally stop crying was the last thing he whispered that night.

"Thank you for telling me this, Zi," he whispered quietly, pressing a gentle kiss to her neck. "I love you more than anything in the world."

She fell apart again, but this time it was joy that overtook her. "I love you too, Tony!" she whispered happily as she found his lips and kissed him, pouring all of her emotions into that one kiss.

* * *

A/N – So that was a difficult chapter to write. Now our favorite couple can move forward from that mystery of Ziva's past.


	22. Understanding

A/N – Warning, the beginning of this chapter is an M rating. If you wish to skip it then please go below the line, where it is back to a safer rating.

**Chapter 22**

**Understanding**

_Ziva was still facedown in the dirt. Her arms were tied over her head and her legs sprawled out behind her and chained to the floor. Her knees were out to the sides, giving her hips a minor break from the position she was forced to stay in. It was colder today than it had been in a while. Ziva was shivering. She thought that the desert would always seem to warm. It was nearly nightfall, which assured her that someone was coming in soon. They always came in after they ate. She didn't know who came in, and she didn't care to know._

_She heard the door open and the signature laugh of Saleem Ulman. He walked around the front of her and bent down to look her in the face. He was smiling and Ziva wanted to turn her head away, but she no longer cared to hide from what he was going to do to her._

_"Are you ready to tell me what you know about NCIS yet?" he asked her._

_This was the first time that he asked in a long time. The girl across from Ziva shook her head wildly and Saleem sensed her movements. He stood up and pressed a foot to her face, forcing her nose in the dirt. She struggled against him._

_"You, my dear, still have yet to tell me about those precious marines that you work for," he said to her in a falsely sweet tone. "If you do not, it is detrimental to your health. Who trained you anyway? I did not think marines were nearly this stubborn. I would expect that more out of Mossad Officers like this one."_

_The girl gasped as his foot left her face. She bit her bottom lip and said nothing. Ziva could see the tears streaming down the girl's face, but she remained totally silent in his presence. She hardly ever talked when someone else was in the room with them._

_"So, since neither of you are talking… who shall I start with?" he asked them._

_Ziva closed her eyes. She couldn't bear to think about what was going to happen to them, though she should be used to it by now. A tear escaped her and she would have moved to wipe it away, except that her hands were bound._

_"How about the lovely red-head?" he asked._

_Ziva shook her head wildly, not wanting to witness this again. He always started with her. She would rather that she go first in hopes that he left after her, like always._

_"Fine, then, I will start with the brunette today, as she protests the red-head getting this treatment," he said moving around behind her._

_There was a moment in which Ziva thought he was not going to do anything and then he felt his dirty hands on her hips, lifting them from the dirt. Ziva suppressed a gasp and squinted her eyes shut. She did not want to feel what was happening and she did not want to go through what was happening._

_He slammed into her, entering her forcefully. She could feel her skin tearing and she let out a yelp of pain as he began slamming in and out and in and out. Tears streamed down her face and into the dirt and finally it was over. She was shuddering from head to foot._

_"You two are too well acquainted," he muttered. "We're moving the red-head now."_

_"No!" Jen shouted out._

_"Jen," Ziva groaned, wishing she could give the girl a hug. The door to the chamber opened again and they undid her chains._

_Jen could barely stand up, she was too weak from all her time lying on her face. They practically dragged her out of the cell and somewhere else, down a hall, perhaps, by the sounds of it. Then, Ziva heard a blood-curdling scream as a door slammed shut and Ziva threw up in the dirt. Her door opened again. And she was shaking visibly. She heard his laughter at her and then saw him again as he sat down next to her._

_"You will talk, somehow, Miss David," he said to her. "We will get both you and the marine to talk."_

_He stood up and placed a hand on Ziva's bare ass, to which she cringed. He pulled a knife out of his pocket, Ziva could see from the corner of her eye. He lifted up her left hip and scratched another mark into her hip and she yelled out in pain as he did so._

"Ziva!" Tony's voice said and Ziva's eyes snapped open.

Ziva could feel that she was trembling and sweating. It had been so long since she had last had a nightmare that she almost didn't recognize it at first. She was nearly hyperventilating and tears were pouring down her face. She immediately sat up and curled into a ball and Tony moved so that he was close to her but not touching her. She racked back and forth as the tears flowed from her eyes and she sobbed heavily.

"Zi, it's okay. I'm here. It's Tony. You are safe. You are in America and at my apartment," he whispered gently and carefully placed a hand on her back. "It's all right."

Ziva looked up at Tony and fell into his open arms and sobbed for a moment. Tony didn't need to ask what her nightmare was about. Talking about what they talked about and then doing what they did was probably too much for her in what night. She had had a nightmare and he knew it was about that one particular room in Somalia.

He held her tightly in his arms and stroked her hair and her face. He waited until her sobs subsided and then she looked up at him with pain in her eyes.

"I am sorry, Tony," she whispered.

"For what?"

"I did not realize the nightmares would come back," she said. "They were gone for a long time."

"You've been through a lot in the last few days, Zi," he whispered to her. "Your childhood friend, Jen, is actually Gibbs' daughter; your brother is a marine; you learned all this and learned that you were wanted for international espionage after your father's murder; you told me about Somalia and then… well, then we had sex. We probably should not have had sex after that."

"No, Tony," she whispered. "That was not the problem. It is remembering that some men are… are…."

"Dirt-bags," he whispered to her.

"Yes, that," she agreed. "But, you… you are amazing, Tony. It does not matter that he did that. I trust you. I trust you with my life, my heart, and my body. You should know that by now."

"That morning that we were in the kitchen," Tony said quietly. "That didn't bother you at all, after what you've been through?"

"No, Tony," Ziva whispered. "It is you. I trust you. If any other man suggested going behind me and doing that, well… they wouldn't be able to."

"Right, you did say you like the top… I just figured that it was a long time ago," Tony said.

"I said that because then I'm in control," Ziva said. "I don't have to be in control with you."

Tony pulled her into another hug and held her close to him. He didn't know what to say to this. He had seen it though, how she gave up her control so easily for him and wondered if it was always that way for Ziva. But, he had thought about that morning in the kitchen and worried about it. He had been behind her and she had seemed to enjoy it. She had not been tense at all. But, now he knew it was because she really did trust him with everything.

Tony kissed her on the lips and she kissed back. It was slow and tentative at first, but then Ziva started to pour her emotions into it. She wanted him to know everything that she felt and they were very good at communicating without words. He got the message and held her tight to his body, pulling her back with him so that she was half laying on him. They continued this until suddenly Ziva rolled them over and pulled him on top of herself. She continued to kiss him and his hands started to roam all over her body. She smiled against his lips as he explored her again.

* * *

Tony woke first the next morning, feeling Ziva in his arms. He smiled at the sight of her. She looked like an angel when she slept. One of their phones was vibrating on the nightstand next to him, so he grabbed it and answered it without looking at the contact.

"DiNozzo," he said into the phone.

"What the hell are you doing answering Ziva's phone, DiNozzo?" Gibbs voice asked on the other line.

Tony stiffened. Ziva felt him tense and started to trace patterns on his chest, without opening her eyes. She could hear Gibbs on the other end of the phone and she was smiling, since she could finally hear her boss on the other end.

"I picked it up by mistake," Tony said.

"Hand her the phone, DiNozzo," said Vance's voice.

"Oh, conference call," he said, and stroked Ziva's hair. "Hang on a second. I got to wake her up."

He knew that she was awake, but he wanted to give her privacy if she needed it. He stroked her hair again and then saw her chocolate eyes looking up at him. He covered the receiver end of the phone and whispered in her ear.

"Zi, it's Gibbs and Vance," Tony whispered. "Apparently they want to talk to you and Gibbs does not sound like he's in a good mood."

Ziva groaned and reached her hand up for the phone. Tony handed it to her and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead and sat up, leaving Ziva to talk to them on her own, figuring that whatever was going on was important.

"David," she said.

"That's better. What the hell was DiNozzo doing with your phone and why the hell are you together right now?" Gibbs asked.

"What time is it?" Ziva asked.

"0600," Gibbs said.

"Shit, I did not want to be up yet," Ziva groaned.

"Too bad, David," Vance said. "We need you to come to the Navy Yard at 0700. Gibbs needs to talk to you. You are going to meet with SECNAV and the Commandant of the Marine Corps as well. Be dressed like you are working and come _alone_. Got it, David?"

"Yes, Director," she said.

"Hell, David! I'm not your director at the moment," Vance said. "This is not about work… at least not about your work! We just need information out of you and figured you would be able to provide us with some more information about someone from your past. This is very important, don't be late!"

"Alright, Leon," Ziva said. "Anything I should know?"

"Yea, you'd better not be working on figuring this out right now," Gibbs said. "Because if the three of you are meddling, I will personally use that knife that I carry everywhere with me to hurt the three of you. This is classified information and discussing it with you at all is technically against the rules, but you know things and we need that information from you."

"Sure thing, boss," Ziva said.

"Damn it, Ziva! I'm not your boss! You're unemployed! Now I know how Franks felt when I was calling him boss after he retired!" Gibbs said angrily.

"Someone is in a bad mood this morning," Ziva said. "Can I go so I can get ready and be there in less than an hour?"

"Yes, see you soon David," Vance said and the phone went dead.

"Well, this should be interesting," Ziva said as she looked up at Tony, who had just come out of the bathroom. "I need a ride to my apartment, Tony. I have to meet with Gibbs, Vance, SECNAV, and the Commandant of the Marines in fifty minutes."

"That's cutting it close," Tony said glancing at the clock. "Go shower, I'll be ready by the time you are done."

"Thank you, Tony," she said as she got up and walked over to him. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and entered the bathroom for her shower.

* * *

A/N – So, the nightmares are back, at least for that night. I love the way Tony pulls her out of it while she panics. I also love that Tony answers Ziva's phone now and it's Gibbs and they both avoid that question of what they are doing answering the other person's phone (for the second time). I hope you liked the chapter. Please review. I love reviews.


	23. Helping Gibbs

**Chapter 23**

**Helping Gibbs**

"Seriously?" Ziva asked, looking down at her flattened tire. There was a large slash in it and in another, so that way there was no way the spare was going to cover it. "Do you think someone found out they called?"

Ziva was leaning into Tony's car window now as he sat there. He looked angry as hell that someone had slashed her tires. Who would have done something like that? Why would they have done that? And, it was so inconvenient!

"I don't know, Zi, but you'd better mention it to them," Tony said. "Hurry, hop in! You're going to be late, but might as well try to get you there on time."

Ziva had just gotten down from her apartment after showering at Tony's and searching through her closet to find something decent to wear. She really needed to do some laundry. Now she was sitting next to Tony in the car again and he was driving her to the Navy Yard. She wondered how she was going to get back from that. She couldn't believe that her tires happened to be slashed after that phone call. It all seemed too perfect on the timing to be a coincidence, and there was no such thing; she agreed with Gibbs on that rule.

Tony pulled into the Navy Yard. "Call me when you're done," Tony said. "I'll give you a ride."

"If I am done later, you know same time as one of the others, then I'll have them give me a ride," Ziva said. "Or Gibbs. Or someone. But, I'm not going to ask that much of you, Tony. You don't have to cart me back and forth from here when you have no reason to be here right now. Thank you for the ride this morning, I appreciate it."

"You're welcome and I do not mind, Zi," he whispered to her, leaning over and kissing her lightly on the lips and automatically looking around to see if Gibbs was anywhere near them.

They both chuckled as Ziva got out of the car and headed for the front door. She had her driver's license out and ready to check in, but Vance was down there.

"She's with me," he said to the secretary that was supposed to be checking people in. "No one is to know that she's here now. This is classified, got it?"

"That's the fourth one today, Director?" the secretary questioned after a moment of looking Ziva over quietly.

"That's fine," he said with a slight nod and led Ziva up to the elevator.

The ride was deadly silent and she wanted to say something just to break the silence. She wondered what was going on, but she didn't dare to ask. She was fidgety now that she was here and the tension in the elevator was enough to melt ice. She was glad when the door opened.

In front of her was Abby and Ducky, looking curiously at Ziva and Vance. They stood there face to face a moment, before Ziva looked past them to the rest of the room.

There were marines located all around the office, but just standing there and doing nothing. They were not carrying their weapons today, just looking around as though expecting some trouble. Ziva's eyes returned to Abby and Ducky, wondering why they were waiting in front of the elevator and being nosey.

Abby looked at Ziva with a curious expression that clearly asked her what she was doing there, but Ziva couldn't answer, because she didn't really know. She shrugged and they stood there another moment before Vance moved off toward his office. Ziva followed him up to.

They went inside and Vance immediately went over and touched a button on the edge of the table. The room was secured in an instant. Metal came down over the windows and the door locked. The lines in the room were secured and there was no footage in or out of that room.

Vance sat down and gestured to Ziva to do the same. Gibbs was sitting next to her and Vance at the end of the table. SECNAV Clayton Jarvis and the Commandant Charles Ellison were sitting there looking at her. They were silent a moment as Ziva glanced at the clock. It was already almost eight and that was just getting into the building.

"Welcome former Special Agent Ziva David," Vance said, glancing around at the others. "She was only fifteen minutes late. What happened, Ziva?"

Ziva let out a sigh. She knew she would have to explain it, but hadn't expected that to be the first thing out of her mouth.

"Someone slashed my tires before I got back to my car. I was staying at Tony's and he gave me a ride there. When I came down the stairs, I noticed that my tires were flat. I was just there last night and the car was fine. I thought they looked fresh, but I am not a forensic analyst. I would like to have Abby take a look at the and see if she can determine a time line. So, I had to get a ride," Ziva said. "But, I assure you he left."

"Good that he left," Vance said. "We don't need any unnecessary interruptions, which is why there are marines located throughout the building at the moment. As for your tires, I shall go and let Abby and the new MCRT that we have a crime scene of minor proportions to investigate now. It is only going to them because you are about to be involved in something classified and the timing is odd. Now, allow me to introduce to you the Commandant, Charles Ellison."

He nodded to all of us as he got up and excused himself from the office for a moment. The door closed and then I turned to face the Commandant again.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss David," he said shaking her hand firmly.

"Pleasure is mine, sir," she said, looking him straight in the eye and shaking his hand firmly.

They were silent for about twenty minutes, waiting for Vance to come back in. Just as they were starting to think that he got lost on the way to his own office, the door opened and he entered.

"Now, we are here for information and yes, Ziva, you will be getting a lot of answers as well as giving them. You are not allowed to discuss anything that goes on in this room after it is said, do you understand?"

"Yes, Leon," she said, nodding her head to him.

He took a breath and handed her a file. They waited while Ziva skimmed through it. Everyone was silent for about an hour as she took her time reading what there was there. There was a lot of information that she had not known, and some of which she had. She sighed when she was finished and she closed the file.

"And, if the others are trying to figure this out, you are going to be taking yourself away from that. We will need your help in this mission after all, Miss David," Vance said, handing her the gun and badge that she had turned in only a week ago. "You are not required to come to work, however, we need your help, which means that you need Federal Agent status again."

Ziva looked down at the gun and badge, a little stunned by this action and not having the opportunity to think it over. She would do anything to help Gibbs and if this was it, then she was going to do it. She knew that it meant only her and not Tony and McGee as well. Her and Abby were helping and not the boys.

Ziva reached out and took the gun and badge and nodded slightly to Vance. She placed them where they belonged at her belt and inspected them for a moment. Then, she looked up again at the others in the room. She wondered what was going on, but knew that she would know soon enough. They were silent another moment as they took in what she did and how significant it seemed to be to her to have the gun and badge back in place. Vance was smiling.

"So, we have this huge operation going on right now," the Commandant said. "It did not seem so big a few months ago, or even a week ago when we asked for Gibbs' help. But, we realized that we need more help than just him. We have had a marine gathering intelligence in Israel for a year now; and another marine who has traveled, but has also been in Israel for three months. They have gathered the information that we need. However, there are international espionage charges against Gibbs, you, Anthony DiNozzo, and our two marines. We need to get these charges dropped if we can, because this mission is far more important than those charges. Now, let me tell what I can about the marines that are involved in this.

"This is Gunnery Sergeant Jennifer Ann Gibbs," he said, putting a picture up on the plasma. "She has been in Haifa for a year now gathering intel from all parts of Israel, because Israel is one of the base places for what is going on, which we will get to. She has extensive hand-to-hand training from her past, which is classified even to me, but I was hoping that Ziva could shed some light on that, now that she sees the picture. Ziva?"

Ziva looked at him. The file that was in her hand was the version that anyone with a high enough security clearance could hold. She glanced down at it again. This was her friend, someone she had grown up with and now Ziva was being asked to give whatever information she could on her. That was not right in so many ways, but it was important to the mission and to Gibbs. Ziva sighed deeply and allowed her eyes to return to Ellison, who sat directly across from her.

"Jen lived in Israel for ten years," Ziva explained. "She was there and she worked with Mossad for all ten years, much of that time was training. There she excelled in hand-to-hand combat as all must, sniper training, intelligence missions, as well as assassinations. She left Israel on her eighteenth birthday and joined the marines."

There was silence for a couple minutes and then she felt Gibbs stir. He looked at Ziva and then around the table, until his eyes settled on her again.

"How did you know that last part?" Gibbs asked, realizing that Ziva had known that before reading the folder or anything else.

"You are not the only one who knows how to use the 'old-school' techniques to gather intelligence, Gibbs," Ziva said, sounding too business-like for this moment. "And that was aside from knowing that she is a Gunnery Sergeant now."

"Right," SECNAV Jarvis said.

"And, this is First Sergeant Isaac David," the Commandant put up a picture. It was a olive-skinned, dark-haired man of twenty six that Ziva recognized. "He has floated around from one place to the next more frequently than most of ours. He deserves frequent flier miles on all airlines. He has been in Haifa the last three months with Jen. What do you know about this man Ziva?"

She sighed again. They had at least warned her that she would be telling them some information on someone from her past. She just wished that someone had mentioned that there were two from her past that would catch up to her soon."

"Isaac was my baby brother. He was Mossad for nine years. He left there when he was nineteen years old. He specialized in assassinations mainly, but also intelligence operations."

"Good," Ellison said, with a nod of his head. "Now, here is the thing. Israel and the United States relationships have been growing more and more tense over the years. Israel wishes for us to no longer be their ally as we do some things that they strongly disagree with. Mossad and the marines have been having problems for longer than that, but we've determined that a mole within the CIA is responsible for that. We have Abby working with us as well."

"Mossad tried to regain a connection through the Navy, by instating a Liaison Officer with NCIS some years ago, which was Ziva David. Until they got impatient with that and wanted to withdraw. We maintained it as long as we could, but when the then Director sent her to Somalia, she became a citizen when her 'family' here brought her back," Jarvis said.

"And Somalia is mentioned in all of this," Gibbs said. "There were two Ulmans apparently, which means that I left the job only half done."

"Well, that's the thing," Ellison said, "we didn't share that with you because it was classified information. So, you did half of our job and we never finished our job. Our marine was caught before she could find a sniper's nest. She was taken prisoner and it took us eight months to get her out of there, because we could not have an open operation without there being cause for such thing, since her mission was highly classified. Jennifer Gibbs was held their for eight months and many men came and went from there in that time, trying to rescue her."

"My daughter was held captive in Somalia?" Gibbs asked, rising to his feet.

"Gibbs," Ziva said, looking up at him and grabbing his arm. "She was more herself there than I was and she was there more than twice as long."

He sat down and shook his head. He was angry and everyone could see it. No one had ever seen the emotions on Gibbs' face. But, this was his daughter that they were talking about, as though she was just another victim in someone's mistake. To him, she was not just another victim. That was his little girl, and the only one he had left, thanks to a car accident that had no answers.

"The Bodnar brothers are also mentioned in this whole thing," the Commandant said. "We have reason to believe that Mossad is covering something up. We think that both brothers are alive and at large."

"What gives you this reason?" Gibbs and Vance asked at the same time. Ziva was on her feet.

"Jennifer Gibbs sent us her reports, which included photos of two men that looked suspiciously like the Bodnar brothers," Jarvis said.

"Isaac David has also sent reports with photos that look like the Bodnars," Ellison said.

"Who is at the heart of this?" Gibbs asked.

"Ah, he asks the heavy question," Jarvis said. "You are not going to like it, Gibbs."

"Who?"

"Orli Elbaz and Hassein Ulman," Ellison said. "We have just redirected our marines to finding these two but taking no action. It seems that as soon as Director Elbaz left the United States she has not been seen since."

"Great!" Ziva said. "I knew there was nothing good about that woman!"

"Yea, well, so did I," Gibbs said. "When are they coming home?"

"Who?"

"Jen and Isaac?" Ziva and Gibbs asked at the same time.

"They will be home in two weeks to meet with the two of you. You will all be here for two weeks coordinating with Jennifer who is in charge of this operation and you will set out for Haifa, to gather any other information you can on these two. This could bring charges worse for Ziva and Tony and for Jennifer and Isaac and you, Gibbs," Vance said.

"I'm going to warn the both of you," Ellison said. "Jennifer and Isaac are not the most professional on the job. They act like children when it is not strictly business. They flirt, and play, and joke and laugh a lot, unless it is crunch time."

"Sounds like Tony and Ziva," Gibbs said.

"Okay, we have another inquiry that was sent our way from Jennifer," Ellison said. "We need to examine the autopsy report thoroughly of Director Jennifer Shepard. There are rumors over there that she was never killed."

"Jenny is dead," Vance said. "But all of you will receive a copy of her NCIS profile and her case file. You can read it over yourself."

"Well, she sent a specific question that we want you to check on for us," Jarvis mentioned. "She wants to know if the coroner found a birthmark on her left kidney area."

"We'll check it, but you'll have the report. Let's break for some lunch," Vance said. "I expect you all back here at 1300 hours sharp. No exceptions. That gives you an hour and a half to digest all of this."

* * *

A/N – So, Gibbs and Ziva working together! Wow! And, then there is SECNAV and the Commandant in on this. And, what do you think of Mossad and the marines having some problems? Seems appropriate the way Mossad is portrayed in the show, I think. Let me know what you think of everything so far!


	24. Change in the Game

**Chapter 24**

**Change in the Game**

Ziva sat across from Gibbs at a small restaurant in the Navy Yard. They had not spoken a word while they ate. They did not look at each other. They ate their lunch with their eyes cast downward with a lot going through their minds.

Ziva was remembering Jen from her past. She was remembering having fun with her outside of their Mossad training. It was so long ago and all she could remember was how much fun Jen was. She used to laugh and play and screw around as any child would. She was a ball of fire and took risks that were too big for her. She often got hurt this way, but they were only minor injuries. It was the first time that she did this that alerted her father to the need to put her through Mossad training, the first day that she was there.

Ziva wondered why her father had commanded Jen to never tell her last name. Had he known all along that Gibbs was a part of NCIS and his daughter's life might very well mingle with his life at some point in the future? Had he guessed that he was keeping this secret for the wrong reasons? Or was he told not to use her last name in case she was in trouble? Ziva shook her head as she stared at her plate.

Gibbs glanced at Ziva, seeing her shake her head. Ziva had known his daughter and said nothing to him about it in all her time at NCIS. She had known that Jen was alive and had been trained and participated in Mossad. She knew where she was when she joined NCIS. She had said nothing.

Or had Ziva perhaps not known her last name, or not connected it to him? Had Eli somehow managed to hide that from Ziva? Had he hidden it for a good reason? Now Gibbs shook his head and it was Ziva's turn to glance up.

Their eyes locked for a moment. Ziva's expression was as hard as stone as she stared into Gibbs' blue eyes. Jen had the same eyes. How had she missed that? Why had she not seen it before? Why had she not pressed for more information from her when she was in Somalia with her?

"I did not know," Ziva said quietly as Gibbs held her gaze.

Gibbs nodded to her. But, she had known when she walked into that office. She had not been surprised. Gibbs had watched her carefully as they revealed the picture of his grown daughter, and Ziva had shown no hint of being surprised. Ziva could see the question in his face.

"I only found out while we were meddling," Ziva informed him. "I am done meddling though."

"I knew you would get involved," he said quietly, nodding to her one more time.

"My father kept her last name a secret from all of us, Gibbs," Ziva insisted on continuing, because she could still see the hurt in his eyes. "We only knew the name Jennifer and that was it. She was ordered not to say a thing about her last name. I did not know it by looking at you that you were her father. I would have told you if I had any inclination Gibbs. Please, believe me."

Ziva was near tears for not knowing sooner, for causing her boss, her father, more pain than he had already gone through in his life. She was near tears and she was not fighting them back as hard as she normally did. She was begging for his forgiveness and for a moment it looked like she was not going to get it.

When Gibbs watched a tear fall from her right eye and trace a crooked line down her cheek, his expression softened and his eyes grew sad. Ziva was just as hurt by this as he was and he could see that clearly on her face as she fought for control over her emotions. Gibbs reached across the table and placed his hand on top of hers.

"Shh, Ziva," he whispered to her. "I believe you. Your father had many secrets that he kept to himself. She just did as she was told to do. It is not your fault. I am not angry with you. I am just angry that I lost my chance to raise her myself and give her a wonderful life."

Ziva gave him a weak smile as he comforted her. She looked into his eyes and only saw sincerity there. He was not angry at her.

"You did not fail her, Gibbs," Ziva said softly, seeing the underlying meaning of his words. "You did not fail her. She used to talk of her father often, when we were children. She told me he was a marine and he was a good man. He was strong and confident and the best man she had ever known. She told me her goal was to go home to the United States and become a marine like her father. She wanted to follow in your footsteps. She described you as a gentle, kind, and loving father. Said her father would have done anything for her and she did not even know if you were alive or not. She told me that you had been sent off to the Middle East during Desert Storm when she was two and she remembered it well. She would not tell me her memories but they made her smile and cry at the same time. She loves you, Gibbs. She loves you more than she knows how to admit."

There were tears in Gibbs' eyes now. He was smiling at Ziva and there were tears falling from his eyes. Ziva, in that moment, could see a flash of Jen before her, as the expressions were very similar.

"Thank you, Ziva," Gibbs said and stood up and pulled her up from the table and pulled her into a hug. "You are one of my girls and you are amazing!"

Ziva hugged him too. She needed this comfort as much as he did and neither one of them was willing to admit it.

Gibbs pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "I hate to say this, but while we are involved in this, I think you should find someone to stay with that you trust. Perhaps Tony? If not, you can stay at my cabin with me, not that there is much space."

"I will talk to Tony and see what he thinks about it," Ziva said. "I will not tell him anything that is classified, Gibbs. I promise you that. I do not wish to compromise the integrity of this mission."

"That's my girl," Gibbs said and kissed her on the forehead before heading back up to the building.

* * *

"We have another mystery to solve," Vance said, looking at all of them just after reading through the reports. "Apparently the woman we buried in 2008 was not Jennifer Shepard. There was no birthmark on her left kidney. Also, there are a few other things that do not add up in the autopsy report. For instance, there is no scar on her left knee from her time in Paris. Also no scar on her shoulder from when she was younger, before joining NCIS. The DNA matched up, but this is not Jennifer Shepard. We have no siblings listed and now we have to run the DNA scan from her file and see what we get with CODIS."

"What?" Ziva and Gibbs said at the same time.

There was a knock on the office door and they all looked at the camera. It was the secretary. Vance pressed a button.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Abby is up in MTAC. She says there is a call that you all need to come to right now," the secretary said. "Honestly, Abby sounded a little hysterical. She also wants to know if MTAC is secured?"

"Yes, of course it is," Vance said. "We will be right there."

They stood up and headed out of the office. They rounded the corner and Gibbs scanned into MTAC, allowing the others to go in front of him. When he entered he saw the form on the big screen there. It was a young girl, with dark red, wavy hair pacing pack and forth and fuming over something. This girl obviously had a temper, and she was definitely heated for a good reason as she paced and looked at her feet.

Gibbs took another step into the room. He wasn't certain it was her, but he was pretty sure that was Jen Gibbs, his daughter. His little girl. He stood behind the others.

"Thank god, you are here!" Abby shouted. "She would not talk without all of you here. She heard about your meeting today, through the Commandant."

The girl turned to face the screen, anger in her face. She looked from one face to the next making sure they were all there. Her eyes landed on the Commandant first.

"Ellison, good to see you, as always, but, too soon, I fear," she said.

"Yes, I am very sorry for that," he said sadly, seeing that she was angry.

"Rule six," she snapped at him and turned to face Jarvis. "Secretary Jarvis. Thank you for being here."

She turned to Abby and nodded and then her eyes met Ziva's.

"Zi, it is good to see you again. I wish it was under better circumstances… but, we always seem to meet under poor circumstances since I left Israel," she whispered. "I heard about your change of citizenship. Congratulations, though it is a little delayed."

"Thank you, Jen. Good to see you," Ziva said with a smile spread across her face.

Then Jen turned her eyes on Gibbs. They locked eyes and their expressions were identical. They were measuring each other up, not sure what to say to each other after so long of being separated. She missed her father and that was clear in her eyes. She also loved her father, which was clear in her eyes. But, she was not going to mush for him just yet. She was angry over something and that took precedence over whatever she needed to do otherwise. This call was business not personal.

She raised her right hand and saluted to him. "Semper fi," she said simply.

"Oorah," he said and saluted back to her. "Good to see you learned your left and right."

She chuckled, going soft for a moment and her face splitting into a grin that was not matching to Gibbs. Ziva could only assume that it was Shannon's smile. Ziva glanced to her right and saw that Gibbs was smiling as well.

"It's about time too," she joked. "I have actually been scolded for saluting with my left hand."

Everyone in the room laughed hard at that. Ziva knew that this was true and that she was probably making a joke at the time and Gibbs apparently caught onto that too, remembering what he did of his daughter from when she was little and how she used to play games like that with her parents all the time.

The laughter died down and her face turned angry again. It was back to business and she began to pace for a moment and sighed heavily. Finally, she sat down in a seat, sinking into the chair as much as it would allow her to sink.

"We have a very big problem," she said sternly to the others, sitting up perfectly straight in her seat and was prepared to talk as long as she needed to.

Jen watched the faces in the room that she was looking at. She watched as Abby was not surprised by the information since it was labeled as an urgent call. She watched as Ziva's face turned serious and hard, like she used to do in Mossad. She watched as Ellison grew thoughtful and Jarvis sank a little in his seat. She watched as Vance sat up straighter and prepared to listen. Then she turned to her father, who had a hard expression on his face, that he used to where when he went down to Quantico with her when she was little.

"What is the problem?" Gibbs asked his daughter.

"First Sergeant David was caught today," she said, standing up again and snarling under her breath. "He went grocery shopping! Grocery shopping!" she shouted again. "I told him we didn't need any food from the Israeli grocery stores. I told him we would receive our shipment in tomorrow, like we always did. But, no, he wanted to go grocery shopping. I told you Ellison, that putting him on this mission was not a good idea. You know my rules. But, well, he doesn't have any sense of professionalism yet, apparently. He had to go grocery shopping and he was caught. I was not with him, because I refused. I guess I'm glad I did. I do not know who took him, but he is gone."

"When did he leave for the store?" Vance asked seriously.

"Five hours ago," Jen said, sounding professional again and sitting back down. "The drive is a half hour in each direction. There is no need to spend four hours or more at any grocery store."

"Are you sure he actually went to the grocery store. Is it possible that he was going somewhere else?" Ellison asked, apparently knowing Isaac well.

"No, he went to the grocery store. I tapped into their cameras. I am sending over the information now, so your people can analyze it. I did not recognize the person who took him, because whoever it was had a ski mask on. Also I have had no word on Black Bird or Grey Bird yet."

"That's not good," Ellison said. "You need to get out of there if your partner is taken. You'll come home and then we'll go over the strategy again and adjust it for your missing partner."

"Ellison, remember, I don't sit on the sidelines when my people are in trouble. You shouldn't either," she said sternly. "I told you working with him was a bad idea. You know what happened the last time you forced us to work together."

Her eyes were narrowed and Gibbs looked at Ellison. She saw her father's stare. "I will tell you when I get there, maybe," she said only to him. "Or perhaps Ziva could tell you if she remembers. She was only half conscious when I told her that story."

Gibbs looked at Ziva. Her face looked like it was straining to remember something that was very foggy.

"Damn it, this is all my fault!" Jen shouted suddenly and they could all see the wetness building in her eyes, but she expertly pushed it back.

"It's not your fault, Gunny," the Commandant said.

"Trust me, it is," she said. "And don't worry, I will follow the rules. I will clean up this mess. It's mine."

The others were left confused by her words. Why was it her fault that he had insisted on going to a grocery store instead of waiting for food to come via air lift? They didn't understand. She wasn't going to say more either, it was clear on her face.

"Well, I'm going to go pack now," she whispered harshly into the microphone. "Did you read the autopsy report?"

"Jenny is not dead as far as we know. Do you know who we buried?"

"Is the DNA a perfect match?" she asked.

"Yes," Vance said.

"Then, I will explain it all when I get back. It is too risky to do so now. I will go to the airfield under the cover of night and I will leave around midnight. I will text a location for you all to meet in on Saturday morning."

The line went dead and she was gone from their view. They sat in stunned silence for a moment. She had gone from pissed off, to laughing, to angry, to blaming herself, and back to business all in one short conversation. She really was a ball of fire. Gibbs was very strongly reminded of Shannon.

* * *

A/N – So, we finally got to see Jen Gibbs. She was only in MTAC, but now she is on her way back to DC, so she will start to play a larger roll in this story, I think. Please review.


	25. Rambling

**Chapter 25**

**Rambling**

McGee sat on Abby's couch, drinking again, when she came through the door. At the beginning of her call from MTAC she had thought that she couldn't talk about anything that they had discussed, but SECNAV had decided to give them all a hand in this matter. Abby and McGee were the only ones who did not have problems with International Espionage charges, it was Tony and Ziva that had that worry. Abby had something to give to McGee and she was happy to have it with her.

She sat down next to him and took the beer bottle out of his hands, seeing that he was already a little tipsy. She sat there frowning at him, while he looked at her drunkenly. She didn't like to see McGee this way and she wanted him to talk about it. But, Abby was not in the mood to convince him that he needed to talk. There was so much reeling in her mind from her day at work; it was the most eventful day that she had had at work in a very long time.

She pulled out the gun and badge from her pocket and placed it on the table. McGee's eyes went wide as she put them down. He had never expected to see her carry a weapon, but then he noticed the badge as well. Perhaps she had been made a Federal Agent today and that explained the seriousness of her expression.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to the items on the table, suddenly feeling so alert, as though he had not touched a drink all day.

"That is a gun and a badge," she responded simply. "They're yours."

Abby had not said much. There must be a lot on her mind, McGee thought. Abby always talked a lot and she was always excitable, whether it was a good excited or an angry excited. But, now, it was different. She was solemn and quiet. It was like that time that she found out that Gibbs had killed someone for revenge, or like that time that Kate had died. McGee wanted to know.

"What happened Abby?"

"Well, you are getting reinstated off the books," she said. "You're going to help with the case."

McGee was not satisfied. She was still not speaking and she was still thinking far too much.

"What's on your mind?"

"A lot," she whispered to him and then took a deep breath. "Everything changed today, Tim!"

He could see that she was confused and thoughtful and hurt by something. She was also worrying for some reason that he didn't know. He pulled her into a hug automatically without even thinking about it. They had not had this kind of contact in a very long time and Abby stiffened at first at the sudden contact. She then wrapped her arms around him and hugged him gently, which was very unusual for her. Her mind must really be preoccupied.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yes," she whispered. "Gibbs was at NCIS."

"You saw Gibbs?" McGee asked, pulling back from her and holding her by the shoulders. "How is he?"

"Great, considering his daughter is a marine and in Israel on a classified mission to gather intelligence about two names that we don't want to mention and also looking for a mole in the CIA," Abby said quietly.

"I thought it was classified?" he asked.

"It is to other people. But, you are officially a part of this case, if you want in?" McGee nodded to her. "Then, you need to hear it. Gibbs has a daughter. Her name is Gunnery Sergeant Jennifer Ann Gibbs. She is twenty four and currently on a covert operation to gather intelligence in Israel on Orli Elbaz and Hassein Ulman and what they are up to. She is looking for a mole in the CIA. But, her partner, First Sergeant Isaac David was taken today and we just received the video, but I'm unable to make a positive identification from it right now. Jen called into MTAC to tell us this. And Jenny didn't die when we thought she had, but the DNA says otherwise and Jen Gibbs has the answer to that, but won't tell us over MTAC. We are meeting her somewhere on Saturday, you included. We will get the time and location from Vance tomorrow when he gets it. The plan we had going is all changed now."

"That's a lot of information," McGee said. "Gibbs had another daughter?"

"Yes, she was taken by social services when her mother died. Jenny Shepard was her foster mother until she was assigned to Paris. Then Jen Gibbs had threats from two sides, so she was sent to Israel for her safety and ended up a child member of Mossad and worked as an assassin and lived with Ziva and her family. She knew Ziva. But her partner was Isaac David, a brother of Ziva's and he is missing, and Ziva is upset, but she'll never admit it. But, Jen was upset too, but she was also pissed off, then she was blaming herself and saying it was all her fault that he insisted on going to the grocery store. I think there is more going on between Jen and Isaac than we thought originally; she hinted to the Commandant that she had thought it was not a good idea that they worked together, because the last time they worked together nothing went as planned, but I don't know what went wrong. Oh, and Gibbs is pissed because Jen was in Somalia in Saleem's terror camp for eight months from January 2009 to September of 2009 when they finally were able to get her out of there."

"Slow down, Abby!" McGee said suddenly. "Her military partner is Ziva's brother?"

"Yes," Abby clarified. "Isaac David. He is twenty six."

"Ziva has another brother?"

"Yes, and he is a marine," Abby clarified. "This is the second operation that he has worked with Jen Gibbs."

"Jenny might be alive and she was Jen's foster mother?" McGee asked.

"Yes, for a few years," Abby said. "Before she was sent to Paris with Gibbs."

"That's when her and Gibbs were together. Did Jenny know that Jen was Gibbs' daughter?"

"I don't know, but Ziva didn't know until we started to research. Her and Gibbs were fine when I saw them after lunch, but not when they were leaving for lunch," Abby said. "They were so tense that I thought for sure they were going to kill each other."

"Ziva and Gibbs?"

"Well, imagine what Gibbs thought," Abby said. "Hearing that Ziva grew up with his daughter and had never said anything about it. Apparently Eli had failed to tell others her last name. No one knows why though."

"I would guess that would make him angry, yes," McGee said. "He gets defensive when something happens to his family."

"He's very defensive right now, even though he doesn't know Isaac," Abby said. "I've never seen him quite like this. But, this is Ziva's brother and obviously someone that Ziva trusts and it is obvious that the news hurt Ziva. So, he's seeing her hurt right in front of his face. But, it's obvious that Jen is beating herself up over this and he is like the angry Papa Bear protecting his cub about that. Oh, and Gibbs doesn't know about Tony and Ziva being together yet."

"Great. So we are going to this location that we don't have yet and we are all going there, and Gibbs will be there and he doesn't know about Tony and Ziva?" McGee asked.

"Yes, and Gibbs is not in charge," Abby explained. "Jen Gibbs is in charge. Rule thirty eight is what Gibbs said to me."

"Which one is thirty eight again?" McGee asked.

"Your case your lead," Abby said. "I'm not sure how it is her case."

"Because she lost Isaac, maybe?"

"Maybe," Abby said. "But I think it is more than that. I think she knew something before all of this started to come out. She has been in Haifa, Israel for a year already gathering intelligence, since before Eli David was killed. We haven't been told what her mission was, but she is going to fill us in on all of the details on Saturday. She wasn't supposed to be coming back for a couple weeks, but this changes the game a lot."

"It is now an investigation for a Major Case Response Team," McGee finished for her.

"Yes," Abby said.

They were silent now. They sat there looking at each other for a while. Abby's stomach growled. McGee nearly laughed at this. He had never known Abby to let herself get very hungry before, to the point where her stomach was growling. She must have been working hard for her to have forgotten to eat.

"Let's go get some food," McGee said and stood up and stretched.

He was stiff. He had been sitting on her couch all day and wallowing in his loneliness. But, now he was with Abby and there was a good chance that she was not going to kick him out again tonight. He would sleep on the couch again. It was only fair not to push the boundaries of their long-forgotten one night stand, so many years ago.

Abby stood up and nearly bumped into him, so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that he had not moved. She looked up at him and her pale cheeks turned bright red. She was no longer thinking about the case. But, she was remembering the last time that she had spent more than a night with him at her place. They had ended up sleeping in her coffin and doing more than sleeping there. She smiled at the memories and felt a twinge of emotions in the pit of her stomach that had long been pushed back. She blushed a little more.

McGee reached up and brushed the blush on her cheeks and smiled at her.

"Nothing will happen that you don't want to happen, Abby," he said, knowing exactly what she was thinking about now.

"Okay," she whispered to him, wondering how much he wanted to happen. "But, perhaps I should be telling you that?"

"Hmm… maybe," he said. "But, no. I think I should be telling you that."

They laughed at each other and walked out the door. How could they keep dancing around this? Even Tony and Ziva had managed to admit their feelings for each other!

* * *

A/N - A little McAbby, but mostly serious talking. Only a few thoughts flying around, because we all know that they have those thoughts when we watch how they work together on the show!


	26. Fear and Worry

**Chapter 26**

**Fear and Worry**

Ziva came in to Tony's apartment and was totally silent as she sat down on his couch and rested her head in her hands. Tony noticed this hunched over posture immediately and went to sit down by Ziva. He didn't know if she was allowed to talk about whatever was on her mind, but he had every intention of trying to comfort whatever was clearly bothering her.

Tony had been worried about her today. He had been sitting in his apartment with a feeling that not everything was going to turn out well today. She had been gone for much longer than he thought she would be, and he had no idea what the hell to do right now. He placed a hand on her back and he was pleasantly surprised by her reaction.

Ziva sat up and turned into Tony and placed her head at the crook of his neck and clung to him as though there was no tomorrow. Tony had expected her to pull away, because she usually dealt with things alone. But, Tony was glad at this change and he held her close to him. He rested his head against hers and held on for a few minutes before ever saying a word. And, when he did speak it was soft and careful.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her gently.

Her head nodded up and down on his neck and he could feel wetness from her tears. She pulled back from him, but found his hands and leaned back on the couch. She looked into his eyes and he could see fear and worry there. He could also see confusion. Whatever had happened today had given her a lot to think about and it was hurting her.

"What happened?"

"A lot, Tony," she said. "I don't even know where to begin."

He waited for her to speak. He knew that she needed her own time to process this and he was there to support her. She wanted to talk about it, but he wasn't going to push her into it, because that never ended well for either of them.

"We are all involved now," she said and remembered that she had something for him. "You also," she added as she placed his gun and badge on the table in front of them.

His eyes grew wide with shock. He had not expected that. He had thought that quitting meant that they would not be involved and he knew that Gibbs would not want them involved. Now he really wanted to know what had changed the game that much.

"Something happened and it changes everything," Ziva said slowly, unsure of where to begin. "My brother is missing."

The tears built up in her eyes very quickly and Tony reached out and pulled her into his side. Isaac obviously meant a lot to Ziva, even though they had not spoken to one another in a long time. He was important to her and this was what was hurting her the most.

Tony held her while she sobbed into him, but she controlled herself soon and looked up at Tony.

"Jen called into MTAC to report to us," she went on. "That was after we had a plan set up. But the plan is changed, so it does not matter what it was. Isaac is missing and we need to find him and still accomplish the mission. Jen is on the first flight back to Washington from Israel and we will be meeting her sometime on Saturday morning. She is in charge and she picks the time and place we meet. She will send the information to Vance. This is all off the books. So we are only unofficially Federal Agents again."

Tony was silent still. He waited for Ziva to continue. He didn't know what to say. He had never had to deal with a family member missing, aside from that time Ziva was in Somalia. He had not dealt with that well.

"She is blaming herself. There is something off about her, but I cannot put my finger on it," Ziva said thoughtfully. "She is not acting quite like her normal self, even for feeling protective of Isaac, which she always has. She was professional on the call, but I have not told Gibbs something that I suspect. Her and Isaac were always very close and I have the feeling that they are involved, which would explain why she did not want him on the mission, since she seems to live by Gibbs' rules. She kept telling Ellison that it was a bad idea and the last mission they did together failed because of it. By the end of the call though she was taking the blame for him being caught, even though she had not gone to the grocery store with him and had insisted on him staying."

"Then, it's not her fault," Tony said quietly. "Sounds like you though… and me… and Gibbs."

"That is part of what makes us all family," Ziva said softly. "We all take the blame when we should not and put is aside when we should take it."

"But, she did both," Tony said with question in his voice. "So do you think she deserves the blame?"

"No, I do not," Ziva said. "I have known them both for a very long time. I presume that this is not her fault at all. She told Isaac to stay and Isaac felt compelled to go for some reason. It was his choice to go. But, it is not his fault either. He was caught by someone who is not good."

"What did you learn while you were there, or am I not supposed to know?" Tony asked.

"The operation is bigger than they thought it was going to be a few months ago," Ziva said. "Parsons is probably just a pawn in the big game. He is getting paid by someone other than the DoD by my thoughts. But he was not mentioned today."

"You think he was a setup?" Tony asked.

"I'm not sure," Ziva said. "But there are other players involved as well. Jen has been in Haifa for a year gathering intelligence. Isaac has been with her for three months. Mossad and the marines were having problems for a long time and those two are part of both worlds."

They were silent again for a moment. Ziva wanted to give him time to process what she was saying as she was saying it, so that it wouldn't keep him up at night. He needed all of the information, but she knew that he needed a moment to process things as well.

"They think that the Bodnar brothers are still alive and around," Ziva mentioned quietly, shaking slightly from the anger that was still in her about this.

"But, you killed Ilan," Tony argued.

"Ilan fell, Tony. I was telling the truth about that. And I would not have lied to you and Gibbs about it," Ziva said. "He really did fall. I am not at fault for his death… apparently he did not die though. They have picture and video evidence of their movements."

Tony squeezed Ziva's hand. He didn't know what to say.

"Orli and a man named Hassein are at the heart of it," Ziva said, tensing up in Tony's arms.

"What is it?" Tony asked in response to her tension and beginning to rub circles on her arm with his fingers and hoping that she would relax a little into him.

"Hassein Ulman," Ziva whispered.

Tony's eyes went wide with the fear and discomfort that Ziva was feeling. The last name Ulman was the only thing that he could hear at that moment and Ziva knew that, which was why she had presented it to him slowly. She was afraid and he could see that. They both remembered the last name Ulman from another part of their life. Saleem Ulman was dead, but he forever had an effect on the two that were talking now.

"One more thing," Ziva said, but Tony wasn't ready. He shook his head and held up a finger. He was not ready to hear more. He was still dwelling on this other part.

"Is he related?" Tony asked, and Ziva could hear the anger in his voice.

"His brother," Ziva said shortly.

Tony pulled Ziva into a hug. Ziva still needed to speak, but she waited until he was not as tense and was more relaxed, meaning he was ready to take in the next part.

"He was at that terror camp in Somalia, Tony," Ziva whispered. "I either never met him or did not realize that I had. I did not know about him or I would have told Gibbs then that there was another threat. The Commandant takes responsibility for his living. He had not told Gibbs anything because their operation was highly covered up, except to those who were on the in with it."

Tony nodded curtly. He was ready to hear the rest now.

"What else, Ziva? You said there was one more thing," he reminded her.

"Jenny Shepard might still be alive," she whispered. "Her autopsy report and her NCIS physical profile do not match up. We did not bury Jenny that day, so long ago. She might still be alive."

Tony's eyes widened with shock. He had not expected to hear that, of all the things he could have heard today.

"There is also a mole in the CIA that they are looking for now," Ziva added.

"We will deal with that in a moment," he whispered. "Jenny might still be alive?"

"Yes," Ziva whispered. "I do not know what it means."

"It means that we were not protecting Jenny when we were in California, Ziva," Tony said. "Or we were protecting Jenny and then we found some other dead body."

"I do not know," Ziva said. "But it looks as though we are not at fault for her death after all."

"You never were, you insisted on protecting her," Tony said.

"You never were either. You were following her orders," Ziva reminded him.

"Fine, we'll agree to disagree on that," he said. "But regardless neither one of us has to feel guilty if she's not dead."

"But we can feel guilty that we lost her," Ziva mentioned. "It is our fault that she was not safe that day. It is our fault that we did not stay with her."

"I know," Tony whispered. "We will find out the truth, somehow. Even if it is after this case."

"Thank you, Tony," Ziva whispered.

Tony kissed Ziva and the lips and they sat there, just kissing for a long time. They enjoyed it and they could forget about their worries while they were with each other. It was good to have such an enjoyable escape that was not drinking or abusing a punching bag and they would both happily admit it to each other.

They pulled away from each other and looked in each other's eyes rather deeply for a moment. Ziva did feel better after talking to Tony and she still had a hard time believing that relying on someone could feel so good and have such a good outcome. But she trusted Tony and was very happy with him.

"Shall we get ready for some sleep, love?" Tony asked.

Ziva had to smile at his use of the word and what he called her. She smiled and her face turned a little red.

"Yes, love, we shall," she said, using the name in response to him and they both smiled at each other for a moment before heading off to bed.


	27. Instructions

A/N – I want to thank everyone for the wonderful reviews. Especially _Celestrial Moon_. I love hearing what you think of the story! Thank you all for following this story through and giving me feed back! Pretty soon we are going to see everyone together and working together with the addition of Jen Gibbs and we might get to see some interesting interactions since she is in charge of the case. It should be fun to write, but we're not yet there.

* * *

**Chapter 27**

**Instructions**

Both Tony and Ziva stirred from sleep as they heard their phones vibrating together on the nightstand. They didn't know which phone was which. They looked at each other and went for a phone without thinking. They didn't know if they were answering their own phone or not. They just picked them up.

"DiNozzo," Tony said groggily into the phone at his ear, opening his eyes and seeing Ziva propped up on her elbow and staring down at him.

"David," Ziva said into the one at her ear.

Their eyes remained locked as they listened to what they were told. They were getting the same message. They were to meet at the airport at nine the following morning to fly to Key West, Florida. Jen Gibbs would have it all set up before they got there. They were to meet before then and Abby and Ziva would fill the others in. Ducky was going with them, but not Palmer, because they weren't going to get him in trouble, since he was perfectly clean.

"Great, thank you, Director," Ziva said and hung up the phone, dropping it on the bed next to Tony.

"Got it, boss," Tony said, putting the phone down on the bed next to him.

"We must have picked up the right phones today," Ziva said happily as she picked up a phone and began to dial out Abby's number so that they could meet somewhere. She kissed Tony gently on the lips as the phone began to ring.

"Tony?" Abby asked into the phone.

"Oops," Ziva said, blushing as she realized that she had the wrong phone in her hand. They had both set the phones down and she picked one up. She didn't know if it was the same one she had used to talk to Vance. "No, it's Ziva. We need to meet and fill in Tony, McGee, and Ducky."

"Great. Let's go to your apartment again. That was a great place to do the work before," Abby said. "We'll have to check for bugs this time though, because I have a nasty feeling about this Parsons guy. I haven't seen him around in a few days and that tells me that he's up to something…. Maybe he's trying to figure out what we're up to, or maybe he's still working on the Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs thing. He was so convinced that it was Gibbs, but all he knows now is that it is a twenty-four year old female. I hope he doesn't come down hard on her, her life is just beginning and she is just following her orders, I think. I hope that she is okay and I hope that we find Isaac. How are you holding up? Were you and Isaac close?"

"Slow down, Abby," Ziva said. "I am okay. I promise. We will meet at my apartment as you suggested."

"Great. Why don't we meet around noon? That gives everyone time to get out of bed and be ready for the day. And, honestly we don't have to talk all that long. I filled McGee in as best as I could last night. I hope you filled Tony in, but I would understand if you didn't. By the way, have you two done that yet? Or has Tony gone all gentleman on you?"

"Abby," Ziva warned, her eyes narrowing. "We can talk about that at some other time. Right now, give yourself a head slap and focus."

"I don't get head slaps," Abby said proudly. "I get hugs and a kiss on the cheek."

"Only when you work well, right now you are far from focused. Go drink a Caf-Pow," Ziva told her. "I will see you at noon and thank you for the extra time."

"Aww… you're welcome," she said, genuinely happy that she was thanked for this. "I hope this is not the phone you answered when they called?"

"I do not know, Abby," Ziva said and sighed.

"They're probably going to have some questions for you," Abby said enthusiastically. "Oh, and Gibbs is meeting us at your place. He just sent me a text. But, he wants to know why we're meeting so late. What should I tell him?"

"That I'm not out of bed yet," Ziva said chuckling. "Just send it to him. I'll see you at noon."

Ziva hung up the phone and laughed. She kissed Tony on the lips. She had been having a hard time resisting him through all of the business that was taking place so far this morning. She didn't care if she would have to answer Gibbs soon enough, she needed this time with Tony and she was not lying to Abby when she had said that she was not out of bed yet. And she was okay with that.

Tony deepened the kiss and flipped them over so that he was hovering over her.

"I may have told you this before, but you're beautiful," Tony said quietly.

"I think I've heard it once or twice," Ziva whispered with a smile on her face. "You are too good to me Tony, and I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered a she went back to kissing her.

* * *

Gibbs was sitting in his living room, instead of in his basement, for once. He was staring at the picture he had taken out of the upstairs room. The picture of the little girl smiling up at him and saluting with her left hand. He missed her when she was little. Something seemed very different about her from the little girl she had once been. He figured it was the mess from Somalia. He quietly wondered how she survived eight months there, since Ziva was only their for three and had been in such a horrible state. He was sad and angry all at the same time.

His phone started to buzz.

"Gibbs," he answered.

"It's the Director," he said. "I think Tony and Ziva were together this morning when we called this morning. I also think it's a little early in the morning for a social call."

"Yea, I got Tony and Ziva's cell," Gibbs said with a smile to himself. "They might have been only seeking comfort in one another, Director."

"Do you believe that, Gibbs?" Vance asked his tone curious and knowing that Gibbs had a feeling about this.

"No," he whispered, realizing that this was the second time that he got the wrong person on the cell phone he was calling. "Not at all. I think there's more going on there. But, I'm going to leave it alone for now. We shall see. Besides, we may still need that to save those two from harm."

"How so?"

"International espionage charges come from somewhere specific Vance, you saw the file," Gibbs said, remembering reading through all of Parsons accusations. He would make sure those two had good lawyers and he was pretty sure he knew where to get two more that he could trust. He would have to talk to A.J. to see if the other two were still working there, but they would deal with that later. They had other matters to attend to right now.

"Berlin?" Vance asked, his tone unreadable.

"Yes," Gibbs replied.

"Did something happen with those two over there?" Vance asked, feeling that they had changed when they had returned from Berlin.

"I'm not sure. Tony would not answer," Gibbs said.

"What does your gut tell you, Gibbs?"

"That something significant happened," Gibbs replied. "We don't need to know. It hasn't affected their work."

"But I will need paperwork. They are working with NCIS. If they are together then I need to know about it, Gibbs," Vance said.

"No, Vance. You don't. They will tell us in their own time," Gibbs said. "Leave them alone. Allow Jen to do her job and leave them alone."

"All right, Gibbs," Vance said. "I'm trusting your gut again."

"Good. Because my gut has not failed me yet. We need to get Orli and Hassein and that is our focus right now."

"We will need to hear her report and see that video though. I'm glad I gave my people the day off today, because this is going to be a long case. Then we have to face Parsons, together," Vance said. "I know you're planning a back up plan, but it's all right. You can tell me all about it later."

"Great," Gibbs said. "I'm going to go build a boat or something."

"Good idea," Vance said, laughing.

They hung up and Gibbs thought about it. If Tony and Ziva are together its about god damn time. Screw rule twelve. It was not meant for them. But, what about Jen's reaction to Isaac being missing? She seemed to think it was all her fault. She did not want him to go to the store, but he went anyway. What compelled him to go to the store? Were they out of food? She had said that the shipment was due in any day. Perhaps they had eaten through their food.

Gibbs really hoped that he was all right, because he had a feeling that Isaac was not just a coworker or fellow marine. He had a feeling that she was following a certain rule by asking not to work with him. He wondered what the last assignment was that they worked together that went so terribly wrong, but he had a feeling that he knew what it was. He had a very good idea of what it was based on the way she avoided the topic.

Then there was the whole Jenny issue. Was Jenny still alive? Could it be possible that she was still alive. He thought back to a time in Paris when Jenny had told him a few things.

**_"Gibbs, can I tell you something?" she asked, looking up from his shoulder, with that familiar vulnerable look in her eyes that she saved only for him._**

**_Her red hair was splayed out across his chest and her face was young and innocent. There was some pain there, but he had no idea where it had come from. They had just had another amazing night together and she was absolutely excellent. Gibbs was strongly reminded of how he felt about Shannon when he was with Jenny._**

**_"Sure," he said, not sure where this was going._**

**_"I had a sister, you know," she said quietly, almost afraid to admit it. "Two actually. We were all very close. But, we were separated when I was four. My sisters and I went into different foster families and we never saw each other again. I miss them, a lot, Jethro."_**

**_Her face was so filled with vulnerability and pain now that she was talking about it. But, Gibbs wanted to hear about it. He wanted to be the one to comfort her now. He knew what it was like to loose the family that you loved. He knew how hard this was for her to open up and admit something that close and personal and he appreciated that he was the one who got to hear about it._**

**_"I'm sorry, Jenny," Gibbs said, feeling sad for her, knowing what it was like to not see family and think that they were still alive. "I had a wife and two daughters once."_**

**_"One of the three wives you had had children?" Jenny asked curiously._**

**_She knew that Gibbs had three ex-wives, but she had never heard of any mention of children being involved. She wondered where the children were now and what had happened to them to separate something where he obviously trusted the woman enough to have children with them. She knew Gibbs well enough to know that he was careful when it came to that, because children deserved a loving father and mother that were together._**

**_"No, it was my first wife," Gibbs said. "I don't talk about it much."_**

**_"Franks know?"_**

**_"Yes. He was the caseworker at the time," Gibbs said. "He investigated their murders. Well, Shannon and Kelly's murder."_**

**_"What about the other one? Was it your wife or one of your daughters?" Jenny asked, honestly curious about it and glad that he was opening up, even though it broke her heart to see him in pain._**

**_"My younger daughter. Her name was Jen," he said, with sadness in his eyes and heart. "I don't know what happened to her," Gibbs said._**

**_"I'm so sorry, Jethro," she whispered to him, with a slightly guilty look on her face._**

She had known, he reminded himself. She knew that Jen was his and she had taken care of her for years. He had told her that part of his life and she had known that the Jen that she had cared for up until they left for Paris was his little girl. She didn't say anything. Why didn't she say anything? Was it because they were on a mission? Was it because they were involved? Or, was it because she knew that the girl was sent to live in Israel and work for Mossad?

Gibbs was beating himself up, severely, but he had no idea what else to do. He couldn't exactly ask her that right now. He would not know those answers until he knew whether Jenny was alive or not.


	28. Finding Her

A/N – Here is some insight into our new character and a surprise for you all. I guessed that it would be better to get to know Jen Gibbs a little bit before we introduced her to the entire team at once.

**Chapter 28**

**Finding Her**

She unlocked the door and brushed a strand of her hair out of her face as she opened it. She already knew who she was going to find inside. That was why she had chosen this place so far from Washington and people who lived permanently anywhere. It was a vacation spot. It was a good place to hide, since no one stayed forever. It was Key West, Florida after all. Who stayed there permanently?

She closed the door quietly behind her and heard a gun safety click off. She stayed put and continued to face the door. She was not surprised by this, but she wondered if the marine uniform would throw off the person behind her. She heard an almost inaudible gasp.

"Turn around," demanded a familiar voice.

She slowly turned to face the woman behind her. She looked into the eyes of a red-headed person with a gun held up to her face. The gun was immediately lowered as their eyes locked onto each other. The red-haired woman had grown out her hair from the last time she had seen her. It was shoulder length and she wore it down. She was wearing a green shirt and a pair of khaki shorts, with no shoes on her feet. It looked oddly out of place in this large, fancy house; too casual if you asked the younger woman.

"Little Jen?" the older red-head asked.

"Yes, big Jen, it is me," Jen Gibbs said to the person in front of her with a nod and a serious expression. "It's good to see you again. It has been a long time."

"How did you find me?" Jenny asked her, her eyebrows pulling together in curiosity.

"Well, you see, I am a marine," Jen said, as though that answered everything; she paused before elaborating on that topic. "I have access to all kinds of highly classified pieces of information. Who knew that your location and your life was kept classified now-a-days! I just happened to stumble across it after your name came up in a mission that I was working on in Israel with my partner. So, I checked with NCIS and had them read the autopsy report and your NCIS profile. It is amazing what that Doctor Mallard missed in that report. I was told that he was thorough and yet he still missed the discrepancies. I am very sorry for the loss of your sister, Jenny. I did not know that you had contacted Amelia again."

"I did it while I was working in Los Angeles for NCIS," Jenny explained, still remaining serious and business-like, just like the younger girl. "She knew I was in trouble and she was dying anyway. She wanted to save me and told me that she was going to be there, whether I would be or not. It was a little cowardly and extremely brave of her at the same time. I gave her all of the information I needed to give her before letting her take the assignment as her own, in my place. I heard that she didn't go down without a fight. I also heard that it was a good fight."

"No, you're right she didn't go down easily," Jen said to the older red-head in front of her. "I should warn you, you should expect some company tomorrow. They'll probably be arriving in the early afternoon, if I am correct. They are flying in from DC on a private plane."

"Who?" Jenny asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion, thinking that she didn't really want to be involved in whatever this young girl was involved in.

"People that I need help from. This mission is far more in depth than anything else I have ever tried to do. No one knew that when they handed me the assignment," Jen informed Jenny calmly. "Even that case where I tried to take out the Ulmans in Somalia, which I failed at, obviously, since one of the people I am investigating now is Hassein Ulman."

"You failed at something? That is surprised," Jenny said, her eyes widening and her expression softening, looking genuinely surprised.

"Yes, I know. I got distracted," Jen said honestly, feeling incredibly guilty. "I told Ellison that I should not be working with him then. I told him again this time. But, it seems to me that Ellison thinks he knows best about everything. And now, my partner is in trouble this time. Perhaps there will be a day where Ellison will listen, that is if I continue to go on such dangerous and highly classified missions when this is all over with."

"Whoever your partner was I'm assuming?" Jenny asked for clarification.

"Yes. His name is Isaac David. We have not figured out how to work together, obviously," Jen said with a slight shrug of her shoulders and a sad expression on her face. "It worked for us when we were both in Mossad, because often times in Mossad, work and personal became the same thing. But the marines it is not like that at all. Any other government agency, except for the CIA is not like that. The CIA is like Mossad, work and personal usually get mingled. It is nearly impossible for the two to coexist in the same setting for a long time as a marine."

"How would you know?" Jenny asked suspiciously.

"Because I know too much, or so I'm told by Ellison all the time," Jen said with a light and playful laugh, finally relaxing a little in the presence of the older woman. "Come on, do you have any food? I'm starving."

"I'll make some dinner now," Jenny said, also smiling and feeling the mood shift to a more relaxed one.

It was nice for Jen Gibbs to not have to make her own dinner for once. It had been so long since someone had actually taken care of her that she didn't remember what it felt like. She looked around the large living room that she had just sat down in. She was sitting on a comfortable tan sofa that nearly swallowed her small form in a very comforting way. There were pictures on the small wooden tables at the ends of the furniture. She was honestly glad that the living room was so large, because it was going to serve as a place for them to work starting tomorrow.

She looked at the picture to her immediate left, which had caught her attention right away. This was a picture of Jenny and Jen's father in Paris together, when they were working together; though the picture didn't suggest work. Jen had a suddenly uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was worse than butterflies, but similar. It felt as though her stomach dropped, slightly out of guilt and slightly out of nerves. Her father had seemed a little surprised and overwhelmed to actually see her alive. Had Jenny not told him that she was alive? Had Jenny been told not to say anything? Jen felt the need to know rise up in her.

Jen got up and walked to the edge of the living room and back across the threshold of the house to the doorway of the large kitchen, where Jenny was working on a dinner for the two of them.

"Can I ask you something?" Jen asked, sounding a little child-like, not like she had sounded in years.

"Sure," Jenny said, as she worked around the kitchen to prepare food for two.

"Did you ever talk about me?"

"What?" Jenny asked in shock, wondering what was going on, stopping her movement, but still facing away from Jen.

"With Dad? Did you ever talk about me?" Jen asked again, feeling a little concerned, awkward, out of place, and worried that she would get the answer that she dreaded.

"He mentioned you one time," Jenny said, turning slowly to face the girl, her eyes sad and guilty. "He mentioned you and said that he missed you very much. But, I was forbidden by Franks to say anything to him about you. I think he was forbidden by someone else, because he looked sad when he was passing that information onto me. It was better for your safety."

"Was Israel better for my safety too, big Jen?" Jen Gibbs asked, her eyebrows pulling together in slight anger at the negative changes that had come to her life after the move halfway around the world.

"That was not my decision," Jenny said, shaking her head as though to tell her that she knew she wasn't safe there. "That was the CIA."

"Fuck the CIA," Jen said angrily, sounding hurt.

"Jen, watch your language!" Jenny said in shock at the vocabulary of the girl who she remembered as a small and innocent child.

"Come on, Jenny. I'm not a little girl anymore," Jen argued immediately, defending herself and realizing just how long it had been since the two had last talked at all. "I can talk how I choose. If you haven't noticed, I grew up a little since the last time you saw me."

"I can see that by the uniform alone," Jenny pointed out, her expression blank and her eyes a little sad and nostalgic. "Listen, I'm sorry. But I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around all of this. You are a marine. You are all grown up. The last time I saw you, you were just a little girl. You were only eight. And your biggest dream was becoming a marine sniper like your father. Now look at you!."

Jenny waved an arm out indicating the marine uniform that Jen wore and the straight posture and serious expression of the girl. Jenny was truly thrown off her guard by the seriousness and maturity of their conversation. If she recalled correctly she had last had a conversation with her about all the things that she wanted to do that year, while she was eight and one of her biggest dreams for that year had been going to Disney World and getting a challenge in school.

"I did that," Jen said, her face stoic, as she remembered her short life and all the events that were held in it. "I did that and so much more. I did too much, Jenny. I want out now. But, they want to promote me after this and keep me in, because I am the best. All I want to do now is go home. I do not want to be the best. I do not want the quiet attention. I do not want to live in hiding or in secrecy anymore. I have not found a home in a very long time and I want to go home and relax. I want a job that doesn't put me in the Middle East every single day for over a year. I want to enjoy some time with the person I love. I want to talk with my father and visit the graves of my mother and sister. I want to take a vacation where I can relax. I want to go to DC and go for a morning run where I am not looking over my shoulder to see who might shoot me in the back at the earliest opportunity. I do not want to fear that a terrorist is watching my every move. Is that too much to ask?"

There were tears in Jen's eyes as she spoke. Her voice had gotten angrier and more hurt with her continuing words and wishes. She had not let out an emotion in a very long time and now it was coming out in a wave that hurt so much that she had to hold her stomach at the pain she was feeling. She knew she had missed so much in her time in Mossad and working as a Marine. All she wanted was a sense of normalcy.

"I just want to go home! Is that too much to ask? The last time I felt anywhere near at home was when I was with you, but even that was not home! The last time I was really home was at my house, taking a picture for my father with my mother and sister before he left for the Middle East to go fight for Desert Storm," Jen admitted, angry tears running down her face. "I just wish I could have him back! I know that I can't get Mom and Kelly back. They are gone, Jenny! Gone!"

The tears were streaming down her face, but Jenny's back was turned to her again as she worked in the kitchen, overwhelmed by the strong emotions of the girl who had come in so seriously. She turned off the stove. Jenny could hear the tears and the pain in this girl's voice; she could hear the unevenness the emotions were leaving on her breath. She could hear all the hurt that this girl had been through.

"And then I was sent off to fucking Israel! I hate Israel! No, that's not true. I loved Israel, it is beautiful. But, I hate what Israel did to me! I was a trained assassin by the time I turned ten! Who wants that? Who wants a little girl to be a killing machine?" I shouted out. "Only Eli David would ask that of a little girl! And I miss Ziva! And Tali! And Ari! And Isaac!"

Jenny turned slowly to see the tears flowing fast down her face as Jen remembered what she lost and shared this with her. She was dishing the plates and allowing Jen to get all this out before she said anything.

"I'll never get Tali back and I lost Ari long before he died, because he became a member of Hamas! That was Eli's fault! It was all Eli's fault! And Ziva! She left for America and became a Liaison Officer with NCIS before I was able to get out. Isaac, too, left before I could get out! He was a marine before I was! I left when I could. I left when it came time to choose my citizenship! I chose the US and what did I get for it? I got a compliment from the recruiting officer about my background and him saying that we needed more marines with my background! Well, fuck that! And to think that I was proud of who I was then! I'm not proud to say that I've killed more people than I can count! I'm not proud to say that I am the best that they have at covert operations! I am not proud to be a sniper anymore! I am not proud to do any of this. I just want to find something that I like to do! Why did they chose me for this mission? It was espionage the whole time! And now, someone is after me for it, but that person thinks he's after my father and not me, because we have the same god damn title!"

The tears kept flowing as Jenny picked up the plates. She stood in front of the girl that she had known as a happy child and looked at her sternly.

"Stop blaming yourself," she said sternly. "If you blame yourself you will end up just like your father. You will end up drinking too much bourbon and building a boat in your basement!"

"That sounds better than this!" Jen shouted angrily.

Jenny's eyes went wide. She knew that this girl was hurting from something far deeper than what she was saying. She was like her father in that respect. She only said what she had to say. But, normally she was happy and bubbly. What had happened to her?

"What happened?"

"Isaac was taken," Jen said quietly. "My partner. Isaac David. He was my partner. It was my job to watch his six and he was taken. He went to the store without me, against my advice. But, he was taken because I did not want to leave the house. I wanted to follow god damn orders! I always followed orders! That's what I do. You do not bypass the chain of command, it's rule nineteen!"

"You know your father's rules?" Jenny asked, taken off guard by that.

"Of course, I do," Jen said. "And no, I haven't met him face to face yet. I met him when he was in MTAC when I called in to tell them that I lost Isaac."

Jen was no longer crying. She looked hopeful for something. But her eyes were puffy and red, evidence of the emotions that had been let out in the kitchen.

"Listen, Jenny, don't hate me, but they are coming here," Jen said.

"Who?"

"Dad, Tony DiNozzo, Ziva, Tim McGee, Abby, Doctor Mallard," Jen said quietly. "They'll be here tomorrow afternoon. After dinner I'll need help getting things from my car and setting up. I'll start with whose going to sleep where, because this house doesn't look big enough for everyone to have their own rooms."

"No, it's not," Jenny said. "Do you know the team well enough to know how to pair them?"

"Already had that worked out, just in case. Tony and Ziva will be together. Abby and Tim. Doctor Mallard will be on his own. I will be on my own. You and Dad will share," Jen said quietly. "There is only one bed in each room, yes?"

"Yes," Jenny said. "I don't think boy-girl is the way to go."

"Well, I do," Jen said. "I think that is the only way to go about it, without giving the guys something to think about and the girls something to cringe about. It'll be fine."

"Okay, eat, Jen," Jenny Shepard said ignoring the younger girl's assumptions which were absolutely correct. "Eat and then we'll unload the car. Then we'll set up. When we're done you look like you could use the rest."

"I won't be sleeping tonight, Jenny. I'll be setting up and getting everything ready for tomorrow. This is not vacation, Big Jen. This is work and you are involved too, so you will need briefing while we work tonight."

Jen Gibbs wanted nothing more than to sleep. She had not slept on the plane, not that she hadn't tried. She had been sick with worry about Isaac. She wanted nothing more than to see his face standing in front of her again. She wanted nothing more than his arms wrapped around her one more time and telling her that it would be okay. She knew that she wasn't going to get that unless she could find him and she was a good investigator, she thought. But, she also knew that she was bringing in the best of the best to help her with it. They would find him. She was sure of it.

Her right hand went to her left and started to fiddle with something there as she finished eating. Jenny was looking at her with wide eyes as she watched this surprisingly simple maneuver, but she didn't say anything about it. She was sure it would all come out soon enough. Jenny knew that her girl was in trouble and was worrying. But, she wanted that positive attitude back that seemed to have gone out in her.

"We'll find him," Jen suddenly said, feeling a wave of positive. "I know we will."

"That's my girl," Jenny said with a smile on her face. "Now, let's getting set up, okay?"

It took four trips to the car, with both of them carrying things each trip and then one final trip for Jen. They set things up in the living room. There were desks and computers and a big screen television that was linked to all of the computers. She had a small lab going for Abby, because she had forensics that needed to be analyzed and prints that needed to be run, off the books. These were all secured computers that she hoped were set up right. They would have to work quietly and the secured computers were the only way to do that with a classified assignment such as they were now on.

Once that was set up, she went to the kitchen and got a glass of water. She sat down with it and looked at the living room. The light was already on the way up on the horizon over the next key over, some of which they could see. She smiled. She loved the sunrise, but she did not like no sleep. She was going to be either very cranky or very giggly.

She unpacked the next box and found her stack of manila folders, some of which already had paper-work in them and she opened the first and began to make copies enough for each of them so that they could all review at the same time. The process was slow. She had to make sure everything was in the right order.

When she was finally done with all that she labeled each stack of folders with a name on it. Jennifer Shepard. Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Anthony DiNozzo. Ziva David. Timothy McGee. Abigail Sciuto. Donald Mallard. Jennifer Gibbs. She placed each stack onto the desks and hoped that the set up would work. It was set in a circle with the big screen at one end, hanging over the fire place. She went and stamped each folder with her stamper that read CLASSIFIED. Then she sat down again on the couch which was now out of the circle and sipped at her water. What she really needed was coffee.

As though Jenny read her mind she came in with a cup of black coffee. She hesitated.

"It's black," she said quietly. "I assumed you would be like your father in that way."

"Yes, thank you," Jen said quietly and accepted the coffee, dreading the fact that she had not slept at all. She would need a lot of coffee in order to keep going now. She sipped it and realized that this was not cheap coffee. At least Jenny's style had not changed in her time of pretending to be a dead woman.

* * *

A/N – So there it is. They are going to Jenny Shepard's house in Key West, where she has been hiding for far too long. Imagine what the team will say when they see her there. Sorry about the angry outburst from our newest member, but she has to have some anger built up from all that she has been through. She has been through quite a lot and she is just venting in her tiredness. She is honestly not an angry character. We will get to see a better side of her later on.


	29. Plane Ride

**Chapter 29**

**Plane Ride**

Gibbs was sitting down at the other end of the private jet away from Tony and Ziva, but he watched them closely, already knowing that there was something between them. He had talked to Tony twice while calling Ziva's cell phone. That alone told him that they were sharing a space together, since both calls were early in the morning. He knew that Tony never woke up early when he didn't have to work and that his most likely action after quitting would have otherwise been drinking.

Gibbs knew that if they were together that early then Ziva was either staying at his place or Tony was staying at hers. He didn't know which it was, and honestly he didn't care to hear the details. But, he was very curious to see them interact with each other outside of the work setting now that he had the opportunity and some insight as to what was going on.

Gibbs had seen them working together over the last eight years and he knew that they could both handle this with ease. He was not at all worried about that. He knew that there was something different about those two the first time he saw them work together. It was like they had their own personal language and all it took for the to communicate was one look into each other's eyes and reading what little body language they had.

He remembered well how he was nervous about giving Tony someone knew to work with. Tony was something different. He hid behind his jokes and his movie references, but he could put on as good of a face as the former Mossad Officer that sat next to him. Ziva hid behind the mask that Mossad had trained her to put up. Gibbs knew that there were very strong emotions within that Officer that her father had trained her to be. He had seen them when she had shot Ari to save his life.

What had surprised Gibbs was how instantly they were able to work together. They started their relationship, if he could call it that back then, with flirting, bickering, and playful banter. They knew how to get on each other's last nerve and that was his first good sign. That told him that they could read each other well enough to work together. And, besides, they always worked well together in the field and they learned each other better than he had ever seen any two agents learn each other.

Gibbs, of course, knew all along that they had very strong feelings for each other. He realized exactly how Tony felt when Ziva had stayed in Israel in the summer of 2009. Tony was never himself after that. Tony was lifeless, like he had left himself in Israel, but allowed his body to come back. Gibbs had actually missed the jokes, child's play, and ridiculous movie references during that time.

He realized how Ziva felt when they came home from Paris. Gibbs didn't exactly know what had taken place in Paris, but whatever it was they didn't go all the way, because instantly the tension between them returned; the tension that had not been present since her return from Somalia. That was another thing that he no longer saw. There had always been a sexual tension between them. It had grown and matured over the years, just as they had. But it was not there anymore, and it was safe to assume that they were having sex since they were together, even though they had not told him that. He was not going to push either.

He watched them as they sat there talking and he listened from across the plane, even though they were sure that he couldn't hear them talking. He listened hard and averted his eyes every time his name came up, in case they decided to chance a look in his direction. He listened now.

"I don't think we should tell him until the mission is over," Tony was saying nervously.

"He'll know already," Ziva said. "But, I happen to agree with you. His rules are very important to him and we can let him decide what to do about us later."

"Absolutely," Tony said. "But for now we have absolutely no choice but to work together and he knows it. So, when we are working we will have to act professionally, or at least as professionally as we've always acted."

"Which always did involve quite a bit of flirting, bickering, and screwing around," Ziva said and giggled.

Ziva just giggled. Yes, she is very happy, Gibbs thought. She is happier than Gibbs had seen her in quite a long while and perhaps ever. That made Gibbs mouth turn up in a smile at it. He was happy that the person he viewed as a daughter was happy finally.

"Yes, but remember that this is an important missions, Ziva," Tony said. "I know you don't want to think about it, but the first thing we have to do is find your brother."

"Yes, I remember," Ziva said with a slight frown. "We will find him, Tony. We have the best working on it."

"I agree," Tony said, pulling Ziva into his side and smiling down at her.

Gibbs turned his attention to two other important team members. Abby and McGee. They were sitting next to each other and Abby was unusually quiet today. Abby was hardly ever quiet. She had a Caf-Pow in front of her and was staring out the window at the clouds that were flashing by them as she sat quietly and deep in thought.

McGee kept glancing over at her nervously. He knew that she was too quiet. Gibbs was concerned for what was on Abby's mind and he was considering trying to get her to talk about it, but he saw McGee hop into action before he could make a decision. They had already been on the plane for two hours and it was about time that someone acted and tried to get her talking.

"Abby," McGee said gently.

"Yea?" she asked, without looking at him.

"You okay?"

She was silent a moment. Her eyes turned toward McGee and searched his face. She could tell that it was bothering him that she was silent. Abby never became silent and still. She was the bubbliest person Gibbs knew. It often reminded him of the way he pictured his own daughter turning out, just with a little extra talking. He wondered what Jen was really like, surely she was a mixture of himself and Shannon as she had been when she was a child.

"Not really, Tim," she said quietly, but left it at that.

"Tell me?" he asked, reaching out for her hand, to comfort her.

She looked down at their hands as he grabbed hers and she slowly interlaced their fingers. A sign of trust, Gibbs thought. Abby trusts McGee and will talk to him when she's ready. Perhaps now she was ready.

"It's just all this," she said quietly, still looking at McGee and Gibbs knew that it was all going to come out at once. "It's this mission… Parsons investigating… but he hasn't been around for a while, so who knows what he's up to… Isaac missing and knowing that Ziva must be worried… Jen Gibbs being involved, and she's Gibbs' little girl and how he must feel about seeing her again… I mean, is he happy about it, well, obviously, but he must be a little overwhelmed by the whole thing, he hasn't seen her since she was two when he left for Desert Storm… and Jenny might still be alive, when we all thought she was dead, and that is overwhelming… and what does Gibbs think of that, since we all know it was not exactly a Director and team leader relationship going on there… and the Bodnars being involved somehow, and is Ilan really dead, is Yaniv really in prison… and the lies of Mossad… I thought we were done dealing with the lies of Mossad, but apparently they never end… and Orli being involved in that, and how Ziva must feel about that, I mean she never liked her anyway… and this Ulman being involved, knowing that both Ziva and Jen Gibbs have a history with the brother of this guy… what are they feeling? How are they reacting? You don't even see Ziva worrying, but her walls have come down a little, haven't they? But, she seems so… so happy and not worried at all. Is she hiding her worry behind her walls or her happiness? I wish I knew. I'm just so worried about everyone. This is a dangerous case and we are all at risk, not just from prosecution by Parsons, but our lives are at risk!"

McGee acted quickly. He pulled Abby into a hug.

"I'm worried too, Abs," he whispered to her.

It was not a bone-crushing hug that Abby normally gave. This was not the same side of Abby that everyone saw every day. This worry was very deep and she already cared so much for Jen Gibbs that it hurt her to see her in danger. They had grown close through phone conversations and video chats in the last couple of days and Abby was a good friend and sister to her, Gibbs thought and smiled at the thought.

Yes, Gibbs would have one of his little girls back in just a few hours time, but it was so much more than that. He would still be with the family he had adopted over the years. He knew that Ziva and Jen were already close and got along great. He knew that Tony would protect her like he was her big brother, the way that Kelly used to watch over her and McGee would also be protective over her. He knew that Abby would love her and they would get along great and they would be able to turn to each other for the girly things, if she even did girly things. Gibbs smiled at his team and was satisfied with what he had. They were really his family.

Gibbs thought about what they had given up for him; what they had done to see to his safety during this mission. Ziva, Tony, and Tim had all turned in their badges to save him. Yes, he was using first names in his mind now, but that's because they were family. You do what you have to for family. That was his unspoken rule and he was proud that they learned that one well. He was, of course, not happy that they had resigned, but he was more grateful than he really knew how to express. Perhaps if they got a break during this time he would take everyone to dinner to show his gratitude.

Gibbs could really trust the people that were sitting on the plane with him. He resolved to start talking to them more. He resolved that he could talk to them like he used to talk to his girls and Shannon, like he used to talk to Jenny. He wondered if he would be seeing Jenny soon. He wondered if there was some important reason that his daughter had picked Key West to meet. Perhaps that was where Jenny had been staying, since he was now certain that she was alive.

He was not happy with Jenny for keeping such a big secret from him, but it was a long time ago and it was better to seek forgiveness than ask permission. That was one of his rules and he would offer his forgiveness, because it was Jenny and she obviously had a reason for hiding. Perhaps someone had told her she should hide. Perhaps she had a good reason for not dying that day. He didn't know. What had she been up to since then? It was so long ago. It was five years ago and he remembered his emotions very well.

Gibbs shook his head and turned his face toward the elderly medical examiner sitting near him. Ducky was his most trusted friend. He knew Gibbs better than most, but Gibbs was glad that his team knew all there was to know about him now. He was relieved that they knew. Ducky was amazing and he could read when something was bothering Gibbs. Now he could see that Ducky was mentally analyzing whatever was written on Gibbs face.

"You're happy with them, Jethro," he said quietly. "You're happy with every single one of them."

"Yes, Duck, I am," Gibbs said. "Tony has been heroic it seems. He's been there to support Ziva through all this. Ziva is as strong as ever. She's taking it like a champion and putting the difficult things partly out of her mind, but still talking about it. McGee is supporting Abby the best he can and trying to hold her together for me. Abby has been wonderful. She's done all the research and investigating by herself and with your help. She was never an investigator, but she has proven her worth in that area on a couple of occasions. I'm proud of them. They have come so far in the last eight years."

"What about your daughter?" Ducky asked, seeing some concern.

"Honestly, Ducky. I have not been so nervous and excited at the same time since the day that I married Shannon," Gibbs said. "I am happy at being able to meet with her once more, but I am not expecting the same little girl that I left behind in 1991. She has been through hell and there is something deeper going on with her with the disappearance of Isaac. She blames both herself and the Commandant. She didn't want to work with Isaac, but she obviously cares deeply about him. I know that part of her childhood was spent with the David family and part of her past year in Israel was spent with Eli. His death had to have some effect on her, right?"

"I would imagine so," Ducky said. "If you would like, and she is willing to talk to me, I can talk with her. I know you do not do so well with emotions."

"She used to do well with them," Gibbs said. "By well, I mean she used to show them. But, I'm not so sure anymore, Duck. She was practically emotionless in MTAC. It was her eyes that told me what her face wouldn't."

"A reminder of our dear Ziva," Ducky said. "Like she was at that age, right?"

"Almost exactly," Gibbs said. "She has a long road ahead of her, I fear. But I hope the worst of it is over."

"Me too," Ducky said sadly. "I hate to see the poor girl suffer anymore trauma than she has. Have you seen her full medical history?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Gibbs said. "Some of it I was not extremely pleased about. Particularly from Somalia."

"Yes, I would imagine as a father that would upset you greatly," Ducky said. "I will see if she will talk to me, but I will not push her. If she is anything like you that will just make her angry, which would be the only emotion she would show outwardly willingly."

"I hope she is not just like me on the emotional front," Gibbs said honestly. "I hope she is still like Shannon and wears her emotions on her sleeve."

Ducky laughed. "We can hope, Jethro," he said still smiling.

The rest of the plane ride was silent and Gibbs was pleased when the plane touched down. He noticed that McGee was staying close to Abby, protecting her from whatever they were facing after they arrived where they were going. He noticed that Tony held Ziva's hand and Ziva was tense. Every time she tensed, he would give her hand a reassuring squeeze and that was important, because he was still reading her wonderfully. He noticed that Ducky was observing all of this as well and smiled at him.

They got three rental cars and took the keys. Gibbs had control over them and he knew his team best so he was going to divide them with how well they would ride together, not that that mattered, because they would all ride with each other great. But he already knew what was going on in their minds.

"DiNozzo, David," he tossed them a key. "McGee, Abby. Ducky you're with me."

They made their way off toward the house in Key West in their separate cars. They had come in at the air field on the island. It was close to where they were going and they did not have a long drive ahead of them.

* * *

A/N – I like to see things through Gibbs eyes. He is so internal and it is fun to analyze the things that he is thinking. I hope you enjoyed reading it.


	30. Meeting Everyone

**Chapter 30**

**Meeting Everyone**

Jen Gibbs came down the stairs from changing from the previous night. She was wearing a sleeveless, black and white patterned shirt that fitted her well and a pair of jeans and white flip-flops. It felt great to finally get out of uniform, since that was all she had worn for the past year. That and bikinis she thought mischievously. She was in a much better mood and feeling quite optimistic. She had a smile spread across her face and was laughing to herself, knowing that Jenny would wonder what she was laughing about.

She had her hairbrush in her hand and was brushing through her hair. She noticed that it was quite a bit longer than the last time she really paid attention to it. It fell down to her hips now in very loose curls. She had just dried it after getting out of the shower. She loved her hair in its natural state. It was dark-auburn and she thought it complimented her very well. She decided to leave that down today, too, since she always wore it up, no matter where she was.

She put in a simple green flower, which contrasted with the color of her hair and worked with it wonderfully at the same time. She had not done her make-up on purpose. She looked down at her dark arm. She had spent far too much time in the Israeli sun in her life and it definitely showed on her skin. She smiled again. She was very excited to see the people that were coming and it was showing in her personality as she felt her return to a self that she had not seen in a very long time.

She stepped out onto the porch and stood there watching the road for the coming cars. She knew there would be three black rentals meeting her there in a few minutes. One of those cars would hold her father and she was more than ready to see him again. Jenny was upstairs catching a few hours of sleep. Jen had yet to sleep and she had not applied make-up. She was sure the tiredness showed on her face, but she was too excited to sleep once her work was done.

She smiled widely as three black cars pulled into the long driveway and parked in front of the house. The first person to step out of the first car was a man that was tall, muscular, and had dark hair and green eyes. He went around and opened up a door and took a woman's hand. It was Ziva, who smiled instantly at the sight of her.

Jen met her halfway and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, and did not notice the others getting out of the cars.

"It has been too long, Zi," Jen said as she pulled back from the hug with a bright smile on her face.

"We do need to stop meeting under difficult circumstances, though," Ziva said. "We seem to be making a bad habit of it."

"I completely agree," Jen said, smiling again and laughing with Ziva.

"This is Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, my partner," Ziva said.

"Please, call me Tony," Tony said extending his hand. "It's great to meet you."

"And you too. I've heard a lot about you," she said. "I'm Gunnery Sergeant Jennifer Gibbs. You can call me Jen."

They shook hands firmly. She definitely had the grip of a strong marine and the demeanor that reminded Tony of Gibbs. He would have to watch his back with her around, because she was too much like the boss, and at the same time she was too happy to be his boss.

Her smile showed vibrantly at Abby as she approached.

"Miss Abigail Sciuto," she said with a nod and laughed. "It is great to finally meet you in person, Abby!"

She reached over and hugged Abby just as tightly as Abby always hugged her friends.

"Can't breathe, Jen!" Abby said and Jen released her with a laugh and a wide smile. "I'm glad to finally see you in person. This is Special Agent Timothy McGee, he's the computer guy I always tell you about."

"Oh," Jen said with a laugh and a wink at Abby.

"Hi, I'm Gunnery Sergeant Jennifer Gibbs, call me Jen," she said extending a hand and returning to a serious face that rivaled only her father's.

"Tim," he said and took her hand and was also surprised at the firm grip that she had.

Jen turned next to face another man that was encircling her.

"Doctor Donald Mallard, you can call me Ducky," he said politely to her. "It is pleasant to finally meet you and you look lovely, young Jennifer!"

"Please, call me Jen, Ducky," she said and shook his hand with a smile on her face at the British doctor.

Jen walked around Ducky and they all turned to watch the exchange, because they honestly didn't know what to expect. Jen was not as shocked as the others to see tears in her father's eyes. She smiled at him, but felt the wetness in her own eyes. They were silent for several minutes just looking at each other with a serious expression on their faces. There was question in his eyes. She knew that he was wondering why she had never come in to say hi if she knew where he was the whole time.

"A marine's duty is to her country, always," she said, using his words from long ago.

At the memory they both felt tears falling from their eyes. But she was smiling, he, however, was not.

"Chin up, marine," she whispered, stepping closer to her father, finally allowing it to sink in that he was really there. "That's what you always told me. That's what I did."

"That's my girl," he said quietly and pulled her into an immediate hug.

Both closed their eyes and enjoyed the fact that they had each other back in their lives. There were tears of joy in each of their eyes when Jen finally turned around to face her new team and noticed that they also had tears of joy at the tender moment shared between father and daughter.

"I honestly never thought I'd get you back, Jen," Gibbs said to his daughter, revealing his emotions to someone, finally. "I thought I had lost you somehow. I am sorry to say I gave up looking for you."

"Do not worry about it, Dad," she said quietly. "I would not have been found anyway. That is the way the CIA wanted it. They moved me far away and refused to allow Eli David to give my last name to anyone."

"So, that's why," he whispered.

"I knew all along. But, I refused to tell Ziva even after Eli's death. I could have easily, but I did not want her to betray you," she said quietly. "Because I would have asked her not to mention it to you. And I do not know what she would have done. I know how loyal she is to you and I know how loyal she is to me. It would have torn her apart from the inside out and she was hurt enough when I saw her at Eli's funeral."

"And how hurt were you?" Gibbs asked, wondering how attached this girl was to Eli.

"He was never a father to me, Dad," she said carefully. "He was a man who provided for me for ten years of my life. But, I was never loved by him and never really cared for in a way that a father would care for a child. I was a trained killer and I am not proud of it. I was good at what I did and that is all that Eli ever cared about. Yes, it hurt me when he died, but it was akin to loosing a commanding officer or a fellow marine, rather than a father. But, I do know how Ziva felt in Israel, because I thought for a long time that I had lost you in Desert Storm."

He put an arm around her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered and kissed her on the cheek.

"Shall we go inside?" Ziva asked.

"That's the plan, Zi," Jen whispered with a smile.

They walked inside slowly and she had everyone sit down on the couches that were pushed to one end of the living room in a circle, as though it were a conference room instead of a living area. It was divided now. Half of it was an office-space for work and half was a living area, for comfort.

"I will be right back," Jen said. "There is someone else involved in this now and she is sleeping upstairs. I hope you will all forgive me for the secrets that I did not share through MTAC, but at the moment with that Parsons wandering around, I trust things very little. The room has been swept for bugs once, but why don't we have Tim and Abby do it one more time."

Tim looked at her like she was nuts. Why was she ordering him around? He glanced at Gibbs.

"She's in charge, McGee," Gibbs said. "If she says sweep the room for bugs, you do it. If she says bend over and kiss your ass goodbye, you do it. Got it?"

"Yes, boss," McGee said, stunned that he was just letting someone else take over.

"Boss?" Tony questioned.

"Rule thirty-eight DiNozzo," he said quietly. "Her case, her lead."

Jen went upstairs and knocked on the room at the end of the hallway. She heard a soft "come in" from the other side.

Jen opened the door and entered the room. She looked at Jenny, the woman she would call a mother, though she could never replace her real mother, and she smiled.

"Jenny, we have company. Get up and dressed. I will take care of the less important things while you get ready. I will have coffee made by the time you get downstairs. Besides, I think that we could all use a cup," Jen explained.

"Yes, ma'am," Jenny said.

"Please, do not call me ma'am when I am out of uniform," Jen said rolling her eyes.

Jenny's eyes snapped up and she realized that the girl was not in uniform and she had a gorgeous body that the camouflage concealed well. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Jen smiled at her.

"Well, that uniform hides a lot," Jenny said. "No wonder Isaac liked to look!"

Jen moved a little closer to her and whispered in her ear.

"He liked to do more than look," she said and pulled away laughing hard at what she had just revealed to the woman she viewed as a mother.

"Jennifer Ann Gibbs!" she nearly shouted, in a scolding voice. "There are just some things that I do not need to know!"

Jen laughed again. The others could hear from downstairs and Jen was not surprised by the questioning looks that she was receiving. Ziva was smiling because she knew that Jen was creating trouble with whoever the other voice belonged to.

"What did you do to the woman upstairs?" Ziva asked.

"Nothing," Jen said with a devious smile on her face. "Just told her something that she didn't need to know. Something a little too personal for her liking."

She laughed again and Ziva even looked confused by it. Jen just shook her head and started a pot of coffee. She had already had one ready for when they got there and she poured enough for everyone, including Abby, since she didn't have any Caf-Pow at hand.

She came out with the coffees. She set creamers and things on the table. She took two cups that remained black and handed one to her father. He looked at her questioningly.

"You're a marine," she whispered. "You drink your coffee black."

"Not all marines drink black coffee," he commented.

"Well, a little birdie told me that I was like my father in how I took my coffee," she said and laughed. "Now, what I can tell you while my friend is getting ready is where you will be sleeping. There are a few rooms upstairs. I must leave one open in case the Commandant, SECNAV, or Director Vance come to visit, so my father may not agree with how I split the rooms and it is not his say."

She glanced at her father and he was glaring already. She laughed and continued.

"Ziva and Tony, you will be to the right of the stairs, on the right. Abby and McGee you also be to the right of the stairs on the left. I am across from the stairs. Ducky you will be to the left of the stairs on the left. Dad you will be to the left of the stairs on the end. The room that is still open is the one to the right at the end of the hall. Each room has its own bathroom and walk-in closet, though not all of the walk-ins are huge and I apologize for that," Jen said. "But, we will have some free time after you are briefed today. Tomorrow we begin working, if Sunday is an acceptable day to work for everyone?"

"You are a trouble maker, Jen," Gibbs said with a twinkle in his eyes. She winked at him.

"Okay, seems there are no problems," Jen said taking a sip of her coffee as everyone's eyes shifted to the edge of the room. Jen stood up. "Let me introduce Jennifer Shepard."

The others stared in silence at the woman standing in front of him. Her bright red hair now fell to her shoulders and she was looking around at all of the familiar faces with tears in her eyes. She didn't know what to say to these people, but she needed to explain and now was not the time.

"Jenny, you remember everyone right. Ziva David, Tony DiNozzo, Tim McGee, Abby Sciuto, Ducky and my father?" she asked.

Jen nodded, her eyes were locked on Gibbs. She was staring at him with hope and lust, but trying hard to hide it. Jen laughed at the looks.

"And you accuse me of sharing too much?" she asked, calling her out on it.

"Jennifer Gibbs!" she scolded again.

"Don't scold, me! I'm not the one looking at someone that way!" she said again. "I'm not the one showing all that to people I considered to be a family at one time! That's you! So, don't scold me. I'll call you out on it when I see it."

"Jen!" she scolded again. "That's personal."

"Yes, it is," Jen replied, standing up to look Jenny in the eyes. "It is very personal to you. You remember too much and your eyes are telling me that. You remember everything and there is also guilt in your heart. Perhaps you should tell him the reason why? It is a good reason, but he's not going to want to hear it and you and I both know that. But, I think it would be best heard from your mouth and not mine. Although it would have been better heard from his mouth. Don't get me wrong, Jenny, he was a very good man and was probably ordered to order you to do that from someone higher up and I think I know who and why, but that is a working theory that we will get to in a minute."

Jenny had challenge in her eyes and so did Jen. This was interesting.

"You want to play this game again, Jen? You want to go with the how well can I read you challenge? You want to go with the how guilty can I make you feel challenge? I can play that game too!" Jenny said stubbornly.

"I don't want to play the game, Big Jen," Jen said to her. "I don't want to play the game, because my life has been one hell of a hot mess. I don't want to challenge anyone. I just want the truth known to everyone, especially to my father. There are reasons that I was with you and reasons I was moved to Israel and reasons the CIA didn't want me back in the country and as a marine. There are reasons that I have only worked covert operations. There are reasons that I am here now and you are all now a part of this thing that started when the car hit my mothers in 1991 and it has nothing to do with the Mexican drug trade. This started with Desert Storm and I was the perfect little target from a young age!"

Everyone was staring at the tension between the two. Gibbs stood up and went over to the two red-headed women.

"Why don't we calm down and talk civilly," Gibbs said. "Jenny, I forgive you. You had a reason not to tell me and I know that. I do, however, want to know that reason. I don't care if I get it from you or her, but I want the reason."

Jenny glared at Gibbs and Jen smiled widely and chuckled a little. When she looked at Jenny she could tell she was still angry.

"You've lost your fight, Jen," she said, turning her glare to her. "You used to always have fight in you and you've lost it."

"No, Jenny. I did not lose my fight. I learned when and how to use my fight. It took a long time, but I didn't always have a fight in me," I said. "When I was younger I was playful and devious. That was it."

"A ball of fire," Gibbs said.

Jen turned to face him. It was not the first time that she had heard it and the last person that she had heard it from was not him. But, she remembered the last time he had said it quit clearly.

"Everyone says that about her," Ziva pointed out. "My father used to say it all the time. Said she was too much to handle some days because she was such a ball of fire."

Jen laughed at the memory and winced at it as well. Then she practically skipped over to the couch and sat down next to Ziva and waited for her father and Jenny to finish having a staring contest in the doorway.

"Wonder what this is about," Tony said quietly.

"This, Tony, is a lot of things," Jen explained. "Jenny is angry at Gibbs because he is defending me and not her, but she is also angry that he did not see that she was not the one dead. Gibbs is still bitter that she didn't tell him that I was alive. And for that matter he is still bitter with the way they left things when they left Paris. You see, he loved Jenny as much as he loved my mother, and still loves her as much, if not more. Jenny decided to leave him behind for her career, which was on a fast track. The decision was entirely personal and she regretted it every day after making it, but love was never a part of her plan in her rise to the top. So she stuck with her plan and has been in pain ever since, because she loves my father as much as he loves her."

Both Gibbs and Jenny turned with stunned expressions to look at Jen. Jen smiled at them and laughed. Jen was very good at reading people and knew enough of the history to fill in the blanks. The others stared curiously, knowing what Gibbs would do if it was one of them; they would get a head-slap for assuming so much and he would remain hard and cold.


	31. History

**Chapter 31**

Tony's jaw was hanging open and he glanced around the room, hoping that he was not the only one who was having this reaction to the serious accusations and assumptions that she had just made. Not to mention that if she was a guy she would definitely have a pair. No one ever said things like that with Gibbs or Jenny in the room and they all knew that. Ziva was laughing to herself, remembering these things about Jenny and how often she stood up to Eli and was punished for it. McGee was looking at her in disbelief and Abby was bouncing nervously at the information she just heard, glancing between Jen and the other two. Ducky was smiling to himself fascinated with this girl.

Then, Gibbs face broke into an unexpected smile, but Jenny was still angry. Her face had turned profoundly red and Jen laughed at this.

"You're still a ball of fire, sweet pea," Gibbs said walking over and planting a soft kiss on top of her head.

He sat down and everyone looked at Jenny who looked like she was just about fuming. She huffed and plopped down on the small sofa beside Gibbs. She ran her fingers through her hair, realizing that if Jen had just won over her father with her attitude and mouthing off then she could deal with it, because she was not going to get between a father and his daughter, especially not Gibbs and his daughter.

"What the hell just happened?" Tony asked.

Ziva laughed at his confusion and everyone turned to her, but it was Gibbs who spoke.

"Ziva, head slap him," he said.

Ziva looked at her boss with confusion. She did not want to head slap Tony and Gibbs was testing her. Ziva searched the room for a second and Jen nodded once to her. Ziva reached up and gave Tony a gentle slap on the back of the head.

"Now, what happened was I let out the truth," Jen said. "They have been hiding it from each other for a very long time. Shall I tell more truths about the present circumstance, or should we get down to business?"

"Let's get down to business, please," Jenny nearly begged and Jen laughed again.

Jen leaned over to Jenny and whispered in her ear, but only Gibbs could hear it. "I'm sorry for revealing all that, but I had to and you know it."

Gibbs and Jenny both smiled as Jen sat back up and looked around at her new coworkers and prepared to begin her own history and how this all tied together.

"Now, I believe that I admitted to all of you that my life was a hot mess?" she asked and there was a general nod of agreement. "Let me begin at the beginning, because it was not always a hot mess. I was born in Stillwater, Pennsylvania and lived with my mother, Shannon Gibbs, my sister, Kelly Gibbs, and my father, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. My father was deployed shortly after I was born and returned when I was nine months old. Then he left again when I was just over two. That was the last time I saw my father face to face until today."

"That must have been difficult," Ducky said with sorrow in his eyes.

"It was not easy, Ducky, but I have managed pretty well given what I had," Jen said with a soft smile on her face and the old man nodded to her. "My mother witnessed a murder shortly after my father was deployed and she was helping NIS as it was called at the time to investigate the murder. She was working closely with a man named Mike Franks. However, the person protecting her, and I do not recall his name, was shot by a sniper out in the hill. The sniper's name was Pedro Hernandez. He is long since dead and gone, courtesy of my father."

Jen looked around the room and noticed all of the shocked expressions. Only her father wore a smile. He was genuinely proud of his daughter, because she did her homework quite well. The others were shocked that she talked about these things and revealed things about Gibbs in front of him without any mercy. The others would never have dared to say such things. She laughed at their shocked faces.

"You really put some fear into them, huh, Dad?" Jen asked.

"Not intentionally," he muttered back to her. "But apparently they are not used to someone being so open about my past."

"That's because you hide behind wood and bourbon," Jen said straight out to him. "It doesn't do well to dwell on the past, Dad. But, I don't say I blame you for hiding behind them. I would if I could and have been known to in the past."

"Wood and bourbon?" he asked, when normally he would have gotten angry at the comments about his emotional state.

"Yea. I find working with wood oddly comforting," Jen said thoughtfully. "Something to do with my hands and keep my mind off of the troubles while still giving me room to think about it."

"That's my girl," he said with another wink.

"So," Jen continued turning back to them. "We crashed. Mom's death, regrettably, was slow and painful. Blunt force trauma to the face. Airbag never deployed and she hit her face on the dash, smashing her nose in. Not a pretty sight for a two year old. Kelly, on the other hand… well, she was heroic. She had unbuckled as soon as she heard the shot fire. She leapt across my lap and laid there. I would be the one dead if it was not for her and sadly there is no way to thank her now that she is gone. A shattered piece of glass got wedged between C1 and C2. She died instantly and painlessly. Again, not exactly something a two year old should see or remember. But, that's the way of things."

Jen shrugged, as though this was nothing. She was not going to share her mother's last words in a room full of people, because it was too personal to her and her father.

"For a few days I was with Mike Franks," Jen said quietly, feeling emotions bubbling up inside her and pushing them down as best she could. "He was a great man. He was truly wonderful. On the last full day that I was with him, a young man came to see him and talked to him privately. I do not know this man's name and I never learned it. Whatever he said rattled Franks and he made sure I had a good home. He found Jenny, who was a probationary agent at the office. He wanted to keep me close and keep an eye on me, I believe is what he told Jenny."

"That's not all he said, Jen," Jenny said. "Mike told me that this girl was special. Said she was smart as a whip and would remember the events that happened. He filled me in on the situation and told me he wanted to keep her close so he could keep an eye on her, but I was not allowed to return her to her father, because there was someone very bad after her, so he had to hide her. He said something about a very important rule to him: first thing's first, hide the women and children. He told me to keep her close and keep her happy and safe."

There were tears in Jen's eyes now and everyone was looking at her. She stood up and walked out of the room. No one really knew what to do. She stood in the doorway with her back turned to them. She regained control in a minute, but when she came back her eyes were red and puffy. Something was really bothering her. She sat back down and drank some of her coffee.

"I stayed with Jenny for a while. I was there until she was sent to Paris in 1997. It was my eighth birthday when a man from the CIA came. He had heard about her assignment. His name was Trent Kort and he was a young and concerned man. He sat down across from me and explained as much as he was allowed to say. He told me that there were some very dangerous people out to get me and I needed to go far away since Jenny had an assignment that was far away. He said that NCIS would not be able to protect me with her on a dangerous undercover assignment. He was going to send me somewhere where he was certain that the family would be able to keep me safe. That was how I ended up in the David family. No one dared to threaten Eli David and I knew that as soon as I got there. He was very intimidating."

"Kort?" Gibbs asked. "He knew about you?"

"He knew far more than he let on and I have talked with him recently. He is the reason I know what I didn't then," Jen explained. "Trust me. This does get back to all of this mess that we are all facing right now."

Jen was silent again for a moment and thought for several minutes as they sat there and waited. They were all looking at her and it had been a long time since she was the center of attention.

"Eli had been asked by Kort not to use my last name. I was just Jennifer. That was it. That was all anyone needed to know aside from Eli David. He explained everything to Eli. I know it was everything because I was outside the room getting acquainted with Ziva and Ari at the time. They were watching me while this happened and they could tell that I was scared and sad. They did everything they could to comfort me. I was immediately trained in Mossad; Eli said that I was talented and wanted to use me. My skills have been useful throughout my life, but I am not proud of some of the things I did while I was in Mossad.

"As soon as I was old enough, I left Israel. I was the last to be away from Eli for a long while. Ari had already joined Hamas and been killed by Ziva. Ziva was in America working with NCIS. Tali was gone and Isaac had left and become a citizen of America with his residency waived because he had been working with Homeland Security since it was set up in 2001.

"I chose my citizenship and I was useful as a marine. That was when I met with Kort again. Part of my mission in… in Somalia was to take out the Ulman brothers. I did not know all of the details because it was classified to me, but most of it I knew. I now know all of it. I was working with Isaac and I knew that was a very bad idea. It went wrong because we were distracted. Personal feelings got in the way and I was captured. Isaac never forgave himself fully, but I turned out fine, I guess."

Jen shrugged again and could feel the tears rising again.

"How long were you in Somalia?" Tim dared to ask.

"Eight months," Jen whispered and got up again. This time she left the house completely.

She paced around the porch, fighting for control over her emotions. Ziva came out behind her with Gibbs in toe. Gibbs stayed back as Ziva took control of the situation.

"Jen," she said softly. "Jen, it is alright to talk about it and it is okay to be upset about it."

"I have talked, Zi," Jen whispered. "I have talked about it a lot."

"You need to share what went wrong exactly, which probably means those personal feelings need to be revealed."

Jen nodded and looked at her father. He came over and pulled her into a comforting hug without saying a word. He then led the two girls back inside and sat next to his daughter with one arm around her shoulders as she spoke.

"Isaac and I have always been different," Jen said. "Ziva was a big sister, Tali was a big sister. Ari was a big brother and a traitor. But, Isaac was a best friend at first. But, as we grew up we became close in ways I did not expect. We often worked together during Mossad missions because Eli saw excellent communication and good chemistry, but he only saw it as Mossad partners, and not anything more. Isaac is… well, he's my fiancée now. We started to see each other outside of assignments when I was fourteen, he was sixteen. We acted on impulse and feelings during a long assignment when I was sixteen and he was eighteen and those actions continued until he left when he was nineteen.

"When I returned a year later to the US we started to see each other again when we were not working. We were very serious before the assignment in Somalia and I urged the Commandant and the CIA to not let us work together. I love Isaac with everything I have and I knew it would get in the way because the marines are not like Mossad. You cannot mingle the two; it is dangerous. But, the two were mingled and we tried very hard to keep it professional but we were distracted when we were trying to set up a sniper's nest. I was captured when his back was turned, since we trusted each other so much. He feels guilty because he put his gun down for a second to get something he had dropped.

"When I got back from Somalia it took me a long time to… to become physical with him again," Jen continued quietly and felt her father flinch at her words and stare at her. "When we did it was only because I trusted him so deeply. However, we were given this assignment just over a year ago. He was gathering intelligence from all over the world while I was supposed to be making sure that Eli David was safe in Israel. Of course, I lost him when he went under the radar and since his death I was keeping an eye on Orli. I resisted when the Commandant gave me Isaac because I knew what had happened last time and personal relationships should not mingle with work in the marines. It is dangerous. We were already engaged at the time.

"The reason he insisted on going to the grocery store was not for food. I was late and scared, but I was only a couple of days late. I was not getting the proper nutrition and I was doing far more physical activity than I had in the past. It was only understandable that my cycle was off if the rest of my body was off too. It turned out to be just a scare, but he is gone because I worried. I feel like it is my fault."

Gibbs gave his daughter a visible squeeze, even though he did not like this conversation at all. He did not like to hear that his daughter was engaged or had been physical with a man or that she had a pregnancy scare while in the field. He did not like that she was hurting at all either. He made a mental promise to do everything he could to get Isaac David back safely.

"So, how does your life tie into the Parsons' issues?" Abby asked, nearly in tears at the story that had been told.

"The man that went to see Mike Franks that day," Jen said quietly. "He is the man at the heart of all of this. This man was connected to the Ulman brothers and the Bodnar brothers and Orli. He was also connected to Federal Agencies and US embassies. While both Big Jen and Franks were looking out for me I was safe in America. But, when they were gone I was not and I had to go somewhere that was, which involved Mossad and the David family, dragging them into this.

"Because you are all working for my father and close with him, you were all dragged into this. Because Kort was emotionally invested in my safety as well, he was also involved in this. And Frank's little incident with death, was not what it seemed either. He was involved in all of this. We are all supposed to be punished for my mother's honesty, but I was the only survivor and I finally remember what happened that day. There was another man with Pedro that day, who was also aiming at the car and I remember his face quite clearly and have found out his name. It is also the same man that threatened Mike Franks while I was staying with him. I saw him outside of Jenny's home a few times and in Israel multiple times. He has been hunting me since the day that I didn't die. He has been hunting me for a long time and has not found me because of the type of assignments the Commandant has given me, which was not a coincidence. He gave me those assignments because he knew I was hunted. Eli David told him out of what little care he had for me," Jen explained to them and took a deep breath and stood up.

She walked over to the big screen and turned it on. She pressed a button on her computer which was on and a picture of a man popped up on screen.

"CIA Special Agent Ray Cruz," Jen said quietly. "He is a killer. He is a traitor. He is a spy. But, he is not involved with Parsons at all. Parsons is acting on his own to try to derail all of us. He thinks that somehow Ray is involved in all of this. However, we will call it quitting time for today, because I'm emotionally exhausted from all this. Please read the case files I have on your desks and get caught up on the finer details of all of this. I need to go contact Kort and see if he will help us. I trust him," she added at her father's look of displeasure.

Gibbs nodded and they all went to find their desk and were pleased with the arrangement that was made for them. Jen went into the dining room, which served as MTAC for this purpose, and made a secured phone call with the door locked behind her.


	32. At the End of the Day

**Chapter 32**

**At the End of the Day...**

"Well, hello again, young Jennifer," Kort said as he appeared on the screen in front of Jen. "I got your happy message the other day that you were back state side. Although, I did hear that it was not a very happy reason. I am sorry about what happened."

"Me too, Kort," Jen said with a frown in place. "Could you come to the location I sent you. I've just told the team the story, their getting caught up on the details as we speak?"

"I can, yes. I was trying to locate the mole," Kort said. "But I can see that finding the other expert is very important. Especially since we want you emotionally sound. This is a difficult case."

"Yes, it is, and the CIA can be useful sometimes," Jen admitted.

"Only sometimes," Kort admitted. "I'll be there by tomorrow afternoon. Do not start the investigation without me and get a desk set up too."

"Thanks," Jen said and hung up the video chat.

Jen left the dining area to see everyone reading the case files and the video of Isaac being taken in front of her. She looked sad. She frowned and left to the front porch. Gibbs followed her and motioned for Ziva to come along, since he knew that Ziva knew her well.

"What's bothering you?"

"I was hopeful that it was more than just a scare," Jen said quietly. "I was sad that it wasn't and losing Isaac in all this makes it more difficult. I feel like he would know what to say."

"Hopeful? You are a marine. Being pregnant on this kind of operation is dangerous," Gibbs pointed out. "More dangerous than being on this kind of operation."

"I know that. I know the timing was all wrong, but you don't really understand," Jen pointed out. "I don't want to really talk about it with you. It's… very personal."

Gibbs nodded and frowned. "I will, some time Dad. But I'm drained right now. I'd rather not go into details. Ziva knows them well."

Gibbs nodded again and placed a kiss on Jen's forehead and went inside. Ziva looked at Jen with a sadness in her eyes.

"You cannot have children?"

"They said it would be difficult," I said. "Not impossible, but difficult. The doc said that there is a lot of scarring on my uterus from what they did while I was there."

"You were so strong," Ziva remembered. "You still had a fire in your eyes."

"Not really, Ziva. That came back when I saw you. That gave me some hope that they would take it easier on me. How long had you been there before they put you in that room?"

"Two months," Ziva said quietly. "How long had you been in that room when I got there."

"You'd rather not know," Jen said quietly but then looked at Ziva. Of course, she could trust Ziva with this. "Four months."

"And you were there for another part of the month that I was," Ziva said. "Where did they take you after that room?"

"Back to my room," Jen whispered, thinking back on it. "They took me back there because Saleem noticed that I had stopped… you know, bleeding."

"And?"

Jen cringed. "I was… I was pregnant," she whispered with a look of disgust on her face. "They did their own form of an abortion. They said the child would be an abomination just like I was. They used that horrible racial slur, too, because I was associated with Israel." Jen cringed again.

Ziva grabbed her hand and she could see Tony peering out from the window to see what had happened to the two girls. Jen put her head on Ziva's shoulder. She was glad to have another girl to talk to that had the same memories as her.

"What did they do?"

"Knife," Jen whispered. "Dug it in until they pushed past the cervix. Broke the sack that was forming there. I bled a lot. Nearly died. I was cold and shivering. I was so weak. I have never felt so weak in all my life. For a while I couldn't even look at certain feminine products because they reminded me of the awful things that had been done to me. I was state side for a while after it. I was really badly injured. Still have damage to my knee. They tore the ACL somehow while I was there. Then, there's the scarring on my back from the whip."

"Me too," Ziva said. "They got my shoulder pretty bad. Nothing major torn though. Just some minor tearing."

"That place was awful. Now I find out that he was just a puppet in Ray's game," Jen said. "I know you have history with Ray. I'm sorry if this is hard for you. I met him once and he seemed nice enough. I would never have suspected. He is as good at manipulating as Eli David was."

"Or better at it," Ziva said quietly. "Let's go inside, Jen."

"Thanks for the talk, Zi," Jen said quietly.

"No problem. You should talk to your father about it," Ziva suggested.

"I will. Don't worry. It's just too much today. He's heard enough about my life for one day. Trust me, he's ready to break down. I might not be surprised if he has already."

"I believe you. That is difficult for a father to hear," Ziva said.

They went inside without another word, not really needing to talk too much about it, since most of the stories were compared already when they were there. Ziva hugged Jen before going upstairs with Tony. Gibbs was sitting in the living room with his head in his hands.

"Dad?" Jen asked.

"Jen?"

"Want to help me set up the other desk?" Jen asked and indicated the box that stood against the wall. "Special Agent Kort will be joining us tomorrow afternoon. We have the whole morning off. I was thinking that everyone could enjoy the beach for the day, you know, a little time off never killed anyone, except in the Middle East."

Gibbs chuckled. "Anything bad happen to you over there, kid?" he asked.

"Not horrible no. Africa was pretty bad. Got shot in the thigh once. It was nothing serious though. Flesh wound mostly. Burned like a bitch though," Jen said. "Only minor things on non-classified active duty. Most of my life seems classified."

"Yes, it does," Gibbs said. "I got a chance to look at the unclassified version of your medical file."

"Uh oh," Jen said. "What's the question? Just ask."

Jen sat down next to her father. Little did she know that she had three on-lookers. Tony, Ziva, and Jenny were on the stairs, watching father and daughter interact.

"Somalia," he said quietly. "Scarring of your uterus."

"That," Jen said quietly. "Yes. I have scarring."

"From?"

"Home made abortion," Jen said cringing at her father's flinch. "They did many things to me over there, Dad. I was raped often. They used a knife and just kept… um… digging, until I started to bleed."

There were tears in Gibbs' eyes and Jen could see them. She reached out and touched his shoulder. She knew that it was not easy for him to hear all this. Hell, it hadn't been easy to go through all this.

"Dad, we don't have to cover all the bases tonight," Jen whispered to him, pulling him into a hug. "We've got some time. It's difficult to hear. It's still difficult to talk about some of the things. And, please, it's not your fault."

He pulled back and looked at her. "That means a lot to hear you say that," he whispered. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, though."

"Rule six," Jen said to him. "This is a case where it applies. Not your fault. Don't apologize."

He smiled at her. "How do you know my rules anyway?"

"Mom left me the handwritten copy of the list," Jen said with a wide smile. "She had a bad feeling that morning and put the rules in my diaper bag. I'm glad she did. Live by them and die by them was what she wrote at the top."

"You have her smile, you know," Gibbs said. "I really miss her still."

"I know someone else you really miss, Dad," Jen said and he raised his eyebrows in question. Jen looked up toward the floor above and he nodded. "Of course you would know that. After all, you called us out, in front of everyone, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did, and I'll do it again if necessary," Jen said.

"You read people really well, sweet pea," Gibbs said. "What did you read of the others?"

"Ducky is happy as being the grandfather of the group," Jen said. "McGee and Abby are crazy about each other but too afraid to admit it. And Tony and Ziva know each other well enough that they could have been married for a hundred years. They are madly in love with one another and they have admitted it, though they are afraid to tell you because of rule twelve. Just let it be."

"That's what I was planning on doing," Gibbs said. "They'll talk when they're ready."

"They'll work well with it. It's not like me and Isaac. We need to grow up a little more before we can handle working together and being involved. Tony and Ziva have it down though. I'm guessing it wasn't smooth when Ziva first joined you?"

"Not at all. Those two were practically all over each other, but resisted somehow," Gibbs said laughing. "I still wonder if something didn't happen between them on that undercover mission."

"Hmm, I saw that report," Jen said. "Yes, Dad, I did my homework. I don't think anything happened between them then. Berlin would be my bigger concern. They were different afterwards, yes?"

"Very," Gibbs said. "How did you guess?"

"The way they hold each other close, like it's their last day together," Jen said. "The way they look at each other like there is no tomorrow. It started after Berlin. I was there, you know. I was in Berlin. I also returned to give my report. I was the one who brought Yaniv Bodnar to Orli. I didn't know she was a lying cheat at the time, though."

Gibbs chuckled. "So, you think highly of Orli."

They both laughed and hugged one more time. "I have not slept in nearly a week. So, I'm heading to bed to catch a few. I'm sure I'll be up soon enough. I'm looking forward to half a day of fun."

"By your skin looks like you had a lot of that," Gibbs said.

"Dad, I may have sat on the beach in Haifa without a uniform on, but it was hardly any fun involved. It was usually while reading some report or spying on someone that was nearby. A lot of Mossad goes to Haifa. I used to enjoy a good long walk down the beach so that I could spy," Jen said. "Isaac would go with me. Honestly, it's the perfect spot for a young couple. Just not a great spot for a young couple on a dangerous mission. We did blend in though, despite the fact that I have the red hair."

He laughed again. "Good night, my Jen," he said and kissed her on the forehead with a smile plastered on his face.

They heard feet on the stairs and Jen laughed, but Gibbs looked curious. Jen waited until he was in his room with Jenny to go into her room and face the darkness and loneliness. That was always when things were at their worst. That was when she had nightmares. She hated being alone.

* * *

In Gibbs room he closed the door thinking about all his poor little girl had been through. He turned to see Jenny sitting on the bed with a book in her hands and looking up at him. He just looked at her a moment and wondered what the hell his daughter was thinking putting them together. It was like she was playing match-maker while she was here. McGee and Abby. Tony and Ziva. And him and Jenny. He realized that she viewed Jenny as a mother to her; the mother that she could never have back.

"I'm really sorry, Jethro, I wish I had told you about her," Jenny said.

"It's not your fault, Jenny," he said. "You are more than forgiven."

"What about my fake death?" Jenny asked.

"Also forgiven," Gibbs said. "Probably would have died anyway, since the woman was at your house when I got there after solving the case."

"Thank you for getting her," Jenny said.

"You never were a killer," Gibbs said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Want me to take the floor since my little one has a sense of humor?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Jenny said.

"She views you as a mother, you know?" he asked.

"I've seen that," Jenny said. "I would never want to replace Shannon, though."

"You haven't and you won't," Gibbs assured her with a smile on his face and a kiss on the cheek for Jenny.

* * *

In Abby and McGee's room they had finally gotten changed and were standing at either side of the bed and having a near staring contest. Abby was the one who broke the silence as she got in the bed.

"Just shut up and lay down," she said.

"Didn't say anything," McGee said.

"Your eyes spoke volumes," Abby said quietly. "What did you think of Jen's story?"

"I think it's pretty awful. Doesn't like to show emotions though," McGee said.

"And this surprises you, why? It is Gibbs' daughter," Abby reminded him. "And that coupled with growing up most of her life in Mossad and living with Eli David. Yea, I think that says everything right there."

"She is a happy person, though, it seems," McGee pointed out. "How do you think she chose the rooms?"

"She reads people," Abby said. "I've seen her at it. She's like Ziva, but better. A walking lie detector. Also a walking mind-reader."

"But, you and me?" McGee asked. "I mean, it's a good fit, but… how did she come up with that one?"

"It's a little obvious," Abby muttered as she rolled on her side.

* * *

In Tony and Ziva's room things were quiet. Tony was hovering above Ziva as they both came down from a high and they stared into each other's eyes.

"I'm glad you're not actually a screamer," Tony whispered.

"This would not have been possible if I was," Ziva whispered back and kissed him on the lips. "But it's just you that I'm apparently not a screamer with."

Tony smiled lightly. "That's okay, my love," he whispered to her. "You are content at the end, so am I. That is the important thing."

He rolled off of her and she curled into his side automatically. She looked at him.

"Jen's got a lot of emotional stuff in her background," Ziva said. "She's like me. We relate. Sorry for not warning you before running after her."

"I get it, Ziva," Tony said. "You are her support right now. But, her and Gibbs! Wow! Who knew the guy could talk personal things and want details, right?"

"I know," Ziva said in a tone of shock. "But that is his daughter. He might not want to hear it all, but at the same time, he wants to know. I get it. I would want to know if it was my daughter."

Tony mentally pictured that. Ziva with a daughter. He smiled.

"What are you grinning like an idiot about?" Ziva asked curiously.

"The image of you with a daughter," Tony muttered and noticed that Ziva smiled too. "What do you think about children, you know, in the future?"

Ziva was surprised by the turn in the conversation, but it was a pleasant surprise. She knew that this was serious for her and Tony, but she had not expected a serious conversation like this.

"I think that is an excellent idea, Tony," Ziva whispered and kissed him.

* * *

Then, everything in the house was finally quiet for a while. McGee and Abby had their backs turned toward each other and were sleeping. Jenny and Gibbs were laying on their backs and staring at the ceiling as they thought of the past and the present. Ziva and Tony were curled together and drifting off. Ducky was in dreamland. And Jen had fallen asleep as soon as she had hit the pillow.


	33. A New Day

**Chapter 33**

**A New Day**

Ziva awoke from a sound sleep and sat up startled in her bed. Tony roused too. He had heard it also. Ziva looked at Tony and he shrugged his shoulders. A blood curdling scream ripped through the house and then there was silence. Ziva stood up and glanced back once at Tony.

"Zi?" he asked.

"Nightmare," she whispered and pointed toward where the sound came from.

Tony nodded in understanding. He knew that Ziva was accustomed to dealing with her own nightmares, so she would know what to do. As Ziva left the room she noticed that Ducky, Abby, and McGee had their heads poked out of their rooms. Ziva motioned for them to go back inside and rest. When she made it across from the stairs she noticed that Jenny and Gibbs also had their heads sticking out of their room.

"Was that you, Ziva?" Gibbs asked, remembering that she used to have nightmares from her time in Somalia.

Ziva shook her head and waved him off as she slowly and silently opened the door. She knew that the simple sound of a door could trigger a flashback after a nightmare. She did not latch it behind her. She went and sat down next to Jen on her bed, seeing that she was curled in a ball and crying. Ziva glanced at the clock on her table and noticed that it was only two in the morning. They had had only three hours of sleep so far and Jen was hysterical.

"Let it out," Ziva whispered as Jen cried harder than she had in a long time.

Ziva held Jen in her arms forever and Ziva did not keep track of how long it was. She sat there and cradled Jen as she had when she had had nightmares as a child. When Jen was finished crying she looked up at Ziva with her eyes red and puffy. She sniffed and shook her head at Ziva. She got up and walked down the stairs, knowing that she had awoken the others with her scream earlier. None of them were looking out now. Ziva followed Jen down the stairs, but remained quiet. That was the only kind of comfort that Jen would ever allow, even when she was little.

Jen sat on the couch with a glass of bourbon in her hands and she downed the first one to pour a second one. Ziva shook her head, but realized that Jen was drinking this glass much more slowly than the first.

* * *

By the time everyone was out of bed, Jen and Ziva were already on the beach. Jen was laying in the rising sun with her eyes closed and wishing that she dared to sleep. Ziva watched the girl as though she might start screaming any second, but Ziva knew better. Ziva knew that she wouldn't dare to sleep again for a while. She was saddened by this, because she had seen this about Jen before.

The others joined them and were silent, as though expecting Jen to break down or something. But, the company had the opposite effect on her. She got playful again and decided it was time to go in the water with Abby and Ziva. Gibbs watched from the shore as the girls played and splashed each other. He turned to Jenny.

"Those are my girls," he whispered to her.

"I know," Jenny pointed out with a wide grin. "They always have been."

Gibbs let out a genuine smile as the girls came back up toward the beach laughing and soaking wet. He noticed that Ziva and Jen liked to rough house a little and he shook his head at how childish they could all be at a time like this. Jen should be unhappy, nightmares were understandable. But, then she turned around and was so happy to have family. He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

Jen went and sat by her father. "I know you heard me last night, Dad," she said to him, looking straight into his eyes that perfectly matched her own. "I'm sorry."

"No reason to apologize, sweet pea," he whispered. "You want to talk about it?"

"Not really, no," Jen said. "I cried it out, like always."

"That's my girl," he said laughing at the way she was smiling about all this. "You feel better after crying?"

"Absolutely," she said with a wide grin and glanced at her watch. "I'm going to go make lunch. Abby, join me in the kitchen?"

"Of course," she said with a smile as the two began to chatter and walk away.

Tony and McGee glanced at each other. "Why do I feel like there is plotting going on?" McGee asked.

"Because they are two very energetic girls who can apparently talk each other's ear off and gossip like there is no tomorrow," Tony said with a laugh. "Those two are going to get along aren't they, Ziva?"

"I think so," she said. "They kind of ganged up on me in the water. It wasn't fair. I never have the upper hand with her around. My father always preferred her skills to mine. I used to be jealous of that."

Everyone laughed at this. They knew that some huge transformations had been made to both girls over the last few years. Part of that was growing up and maturing, but another part of it was entirely different. Part of that was what they had both been through and what they had dealt with together. They were forever linked by their common experiences.

Five minutes later, Jen skipped out of the house and onto the beach. She had a huge grin on her face and looked around at everyone.

"Sandwiches inside, if anyone's interested," she said and ran back for the house before anyone else could.

They all paraded in and sat on the couches in their bathing suits to eat. They laughed and talked of nothing and then the door opened. Jen pulled a gun from the table next to where she sat and pointed it to where an intruder might appear. The others were impressed by her speed. Then, Trent Kort came around the corner.

"Well, that is a sight I have never seen," he said cautiously. "Put that thing away, young Jennifer, before you hurt someone."

Jen laughed. "Thank you for coming," Jen said and placed the gun on the table top. "Everyone go change. Meet back here in ten. If you're late you miss out. Work starts now."

Kort was amazed at how fast they moved at the young girl's orders, as though they had been working together for a long time and had a great reason to trust her already. But, they were all back in less than ten including Jen, who was the second one back, only preceded by her father, who was talking with Kort about her life.

"Welcome to our humble abode, Trent," Jen said with a slight curtsy.

"You are not wearing your uniform, Jen," he mentioned.

"No, I am not. This is office-type work and technically controlled by NCIS. So, I am unofficially NCIS until we find Isaac David. Then we search for Cruz. You are sticking around long enough to help us?"

"Absolutely," Kort said. "I have a location actually on Isaac. I need three who can work together perfectly. You have one week while we track any movements."

"I will not be involved in that," Jen announced. "It is too emotional for me and it would compromise the mission."

"You are honest, child," Kort said with a nod. "Who do you wish to send?"

"Special Agents Gibbs, David, and DiNozzo," Jen said certainly. "They will work together the best and accomplish the mission perfectly."

"You think a sibling can do a better job than a fiancée?" Kort asked.

"Ziva was always better at controlling her emotional responses," Jen said. "That was something I failed miserably at and would use to my advantage while I was working with Mossad."

"Glad you found a way to make it work. When do you want them to leave?" Kort asked.

"Tomorrow morning," Jen said. "You will escort them to where they need to go. I'll control the investigation here. And, Kort. If any of them are hurt, I hold you responsible. Unless it is Isaac. Then I hold myself accountable."

"You are too hard on yourself, young Jennifer," Kort reminded her for probably the millionth time in her life. "I will take them and talk with them in the dining room, which I'm assuming you set aside as a private communication room."

"Yes. We swept for bugs twice, feel free to do it again. We are going to do that out here just to be certain and then we will get to work on tracking down Ray Cruz, Hassein Ulman, and Orli Elbaz," Jen explained.

Kort, Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva left the room and the others gathered at their desks. Jen put up the three names on the big screen on a box that looked oddly like a manila folder.

"My own personal touch," Jen said to McGee. "Case files."

He laughed and nodded at it. The others were staring at them as though they didn't understand the joke. No one explained it to them either. You weren't supposed to change the appearance on an NCIS screen, and it was nearly impossible to do. It was nerdy stuff, as Tony would call it.

"McGee, you take Hassein's file. Jenny, you take Orli's file. I'll take Ray's file. Ducky, I want psychological profiles done on all three of these people. Abby, I have some forensics in the box that I need you to analyze and let me know what you think."

Everyone moved at once.

* * *

In the other room, Kort had finished briefing them.

"I take it Miss Gibbs trusts each of you for some reason," Kort said. "I also happen to know that you are the very best agents anywhere. You will get this done and come back safely. We will bring Isaac home to the poor girl so she can stop beating herself up for once. The last thing she needs is to loose someone as important as Isaac to her. I blame the Commandant, he didn't heed her warnings, and her warnings and instincts are her best friends. Come along."

"And he never left Haifa," Gibbs pointed out.

"Never," Ziva said. "Didn't she look?"

"She was instructed not to leave the safe house for any reason. There was an area around the safe house though, where she could lay in the sun and still be perfectly safe. I would imagine those two got carried away and left that area. But, that explains nothing at all. Why was he not taken sooner? Why was she not taken? She is the absolute best that we have… and by we I mean the US. Gibbs, you would like to have her on your team, I'm sure, since all of the agencies want her when she decides its quitting time from the marines," Kort said.

"She seems to be a capable investigator and she knows my rules," Gibbs said. "Now, let's get packing and get a move on so tomorrow we can be out of here early and return my future son in law to my daughter."

Kort smiled. "Glad you have accepted all of this so willingly, Gibbs. I never struck you as the type to protect your daughter's heart so well," Kort admitted.

"Always will," Gibbs said simply with a shrug and a smirk.


	34. Kort's Connection

**Chapter 34**

**Kort's Connection**

They finally came out of the dining area, their make-shift MTAC. Kort stayed in the doorway and the others stopped because of the look on Jen's face. She was smirking at Kort and Kort was smirking at her. The private joke was their expressions. They were all slightly stunned and confused by the strange actions of Kort. It was not like him to give a straight answer or to cooperate with anyone.

Jen could remember the other Kort, that the others were remembering as well. She smirked a little more and thought back to the first time she remembered Kort entering her life.

**_There was a knock on the front door and Jenny told Jen to get it. A man was there. He was tall and thin and a little scary-looking for an eight-year-old girl's liking. Kort stared at her and she stared right back at him, as though daring him to do something or say something._**

**_"Are you going to let me in?" he asked in a scathing tone._**

**_Jen stepped to the side and continued to stare at Kort as he passed her and she cleared her throat when he expected her to close the door. He looked at her and the door._**

**_"Well, it's not going to close itself," Jen said to him._**

**_He chuckled slightly, without his expression changing and closed the door. He continued to look to the little girl and he was getting rather frustrated. Obviously, no one had taught her hospitality._**

**_"Are you going to show me to the living room and get Agent Shepard?" he asked._**

**_"You are here to see Jenny?" Jen asked him._**

**_He remained quiet and Jen quit fighting then. She pointed to the living room with a wide grin on her face, since it was a large house and there were many things that were there. Jen went to the kitchen and told Jenny that there was a CIA agent there. Jenny didn't believe Jen until she stepped into the room._**

**_"What are you doing here?" Jenny asked._**

**_"Are you going to introduce me to the lovely girl?" Kort asked._**

**_"Why don't you do it yourself?" Jen dared him, staring at him hard and Kort knew that glare anywhere. Jen could see his eyes crinkle as he resisted the urge to laugh at what he was seeing._**

**_"I am Special Agent Trent Kort with the CIA, child," he said. "I already know who you are, Jennifer."_**

**_Jen's eyes narrowed as she stood between Jenny and this guy that she had never met. She looked at only him and there seemed an awkward tension in the room._**

**_"I'm here to take the girl," Kort said. "She is not safe here while you are gone. No one can care for her properly and keep her safe properly while you are away. I will find a safe place for her."_**

**_Jen's eyes narrowed. "This isn't because of her assignment?" Jen guessed._**

**_"You are something special, you know," he pointed out. "Don't waste it. Many children with the gift to read others, lose it."_**

**_Jen's eyes narrowed further._**

**_"Well, what are you waiting for, go pack a bag for the girl. Clothes for summer kind of weather, Jenny," Kort said._**

**_"Are you going to tell me why? Are you going to tell me where she is going? How do I know you can be trusted?" Jenny asked._**

**_"You don't," Kort said. "But if you do not trust me then both you and the girl will end up on the good doctor's autopsy table a little sooner than planned and that won't be me. I don't kill for the sake of killing."_**

Kort had been scary and cryptic with me back then. But there was one conversation on a secured plain ride to Tel Aviv that clued me in that he was actually human and not some robot.

**_"Why am I moving away?" Jen insisted again for the millionth time. "Obviously it is classified, but is this really the only option? My mother did not die so I could run, you know."_**

**_"I know why your mother died," he whispered out. "I also know that it was more involved than it appeared to be."_**

**_"What are you willing to tell a child on a secured flight?"_**

**_"That you would be surprised at what I'm following," Kort said. "Many people do not trust me. I just don't take to authority very well, and apparently neither do you. I still get the missions done and the people safe at the end of the day."_**

**_"I noticed," Jen said stubbornly. "Why am I moving?"_**

**_"DC is no longer safe for you, especially with two people leaving for Paris," Kort said._**

**_"And they are on an undercover assignment which means I cannot go with them," Jen pointed out. "Got that part already."_**

**_"You are disrespectful," Kort said in a matter-of-fact tone._**

**_"I have lost a bit," Jen said in a rude tone. "People, I mean. I can take care of myself."_**

**_"I imagine you can," Kort replied. "Are you alone ever?"_**

**_"When Jenny gets a last minute call," Jen whispered out. "You are making sure I'm safe. I'm not to argue with the reasons."_**

**_"You are smart, aren't you?" Kort asked, now finally showing some curiosity in the girl, after having said that he, too, would not take an interest in the girl, as all other agents had said before; he frowned; it was hard to not take an interest in this particular girl. "We will see each other after this, I am sure of it. I can smell it."_**

**_Jen wrinkled her nose and sniffed. She rolled her eyes at the man and then laughed. You can't smell the future, she thought. You have a gut feeling, she wanted to tell him, but she was slowly earning some respect for the man._**

"Jen?" Kort asked, seeing her expression change.

"You are to escort them _there_," Jen reiterated, knowing that most people caught the hidden emphasis on the word. "Make sure they get in, then let them do their jobs."

They were silent for a moment. Jen was smiling and Kort nodded in return.

"I like the way you think, young Jennifer. I always knew you would make a good agent some day. Perhaps after this ordeal it will be your time."

"He's so caring," Ziva pointed out to Tony and the others.

"It's weird," Tony mentioned.

"Sometimes, life surprises you," Jen said, looking straight at Ziva and using words that she had used on her own father not so long ago. "Surprise. Kort has a heart. They all like him because he really doesn't, but you see, he actually does."

The others shook their head and Kort stepped over to Jen and kissed her on the forehead. "You didn't have to give away my secrets," he whispered and stepped away again.

The others were in shock and Jen remembered the next time she had seen him.

**_"Shalom, Eli," Kort said._**

**_"Shalom," Eli said with a tone of pure hatred. "I believe the last time we saw each other you were dumping a rescue on my doorstep?"_**

**_"Is that rescue here?"_**

**_"Yes, I'll be back in a moment," Eli said and got up. He walked out of the room to find Ziva and Jen wrestling over something; he watched for a moment. Jen was ten and was about to do her first mission ever and he was growing tired of the childish games between his oldest daughter and the youngest girl he cared for._**

**_The television remote was between the two girls. Ten-year-old Jen was sitting on top of fifteen-year-old Ziva. They were now laughing so hard that he could tell there was no danger of the girls hurting each other, as he often felt when they got in a physical argument._**

**_"Jennifer, come," Eli commanded._**

**_Jen frowned at Ziva and then the girls giggled again. Eli rolled his eyes and led Jen into his office. Jen was startled by who she saw sitting there. He had said that they would see each other again, and she was truly fascinated by this mysterious CIA agent._**

**_"You remember Special Agent Kort?" he asked in Hebrew._**

**_"How could I forget?" she replied using the same language. "Trent." She nodded to him._**

**_"I have come to check on you," he said. "You are growing well, I can see."_**

**_"She is small," Eli said. "What does the CIA still want with this girl?"_**

**_"Who said it was CIA, Eli?"_**

**_He narrowed his eyes. "I'll leave you two, fifteen minutes," he muttered._**

**_"You have taken a personal interest?" Jen asked him, standing tall as though she were at attention. He was not satisfied with this but at the same time he was._**

**_"Yes, I think that I have. I was told not to. That was why they used me. They seem to think that I do not have a heart," Kort explained with a dry laugh. "However, you are intriguing to all agencies all over the world. There are a lot of people searching for you. Tell me, do you use the last name David or Gibbs?"_**

**_"I go with David while I am in school and in Mossad," Jen said. "But here I just go by Jennifer."_**

**_"I see," Kort said. "That is for the best."_**

**_"You explained whatever this was to Eli?"_**

**_"What he needed to know," Kort admitted._**

**_"Your job is no longer to protect me, Kort," Jen said, her eyes narrowing. "That is now up to a man in Mossad who is fast on his way toward becoming Deputy Director. He will rise and then he will fall like so many others. He is a terrified and hard man. His heart is cold with hatred, bitterness, and revenge. He is angry. But, perhaps that is why he and I get along so well. Was it your idea to not allow me to see my father? Why are so many people after me? Why do you allow this to happen? If you are CIA and I am living with a Mossad Officer, why are they not dealt with? Should I take control?"_**

**_"You should keep low for now, Jen," Kort said. "Yes there are people out there to get you. People who knew how your mother died and people who knew why. People who know who your father is and that you were not buried. There are people who have heard rumors that you are different and you can switch the humanity on and off. I think I learned that from you."_**

**_She could see genuine curiosity in the man's eyes. He was really there because he had gotten personally involved. She remembered something from the list of her father's rules and nearly laughed. Then she recited that rule to him._**

**_"Rule ten, Kort," she whispered. "Never get personally involved in a case. You are personally involved. But, are you still on the case."_**

**_"Yes, but where did you hear such a rule? Are those Eli's rules?"_**

**_"No," Jen said. "They are my father's. Speaking of the man, how is he?"_**

**_"Hurting," Kort said._**

**_"You care enough to know," Jen said lowering her eyes from him. "That means a great deal to me. Thank you, Kort."_**

**_"Your welcome, child," Kort said and hugged the girl. "Good luck on your upcoming assignment. Remember your rules, well, I guess your father's rules. I have heard some of them before and I am happy that you had a good man who can still quietly set an example in your life. Please trust me when I tell you this was necessary."_**

**_"I believe you," Jen said. "You are personally involved, so I believe you."_**

"Okay, what in the hell is going on?" Gibbs asked, directing his gaze and Jen.

"Kort and I have bonded over the years," Jen admitted with a shrug. "It is nothing major. But he did break rule ten. Everyone involved in my case broke rule ten. Therefore, I am stuck cleaning up the mess with all of you. Who's mess is it anyway, Kort?"

"The NCIS agent that was shot that was guarding you, Shannon, and Kelly that day," Kort admitted. "He is dead, so someone has to clean up the mess."

"I took responsibility for that by volunteering to go to Africa four years ago," Jen said. "I failed. Now, we must work together to get it done. Marines, NCIS, CIA, and we will probably get the FBI involved at some point. Not to mention our Mossad ties."

"Ties?" Gibbs asked.

"Me, Ziva, and Isaac," Jen explained. "We are the ties. Even though we've all left Mossad officially, we have all worked with them in the past to find answers. Now, you three, go get packing, we'll get to work here on what we need for all this to work. I plan on using some of my ties and contacts to get information."

"Good thinking, Jen," Kort said with a soft smile.

Gibbs was glaring. Jen noticed and narrowed her eyes. "Told you, Dad, I trust him. You should too," Jen said.


	35. A Ride to the Airport

**Chapter 35**

**A Ride to the Airport**

The ride to the airport was completely silent. Jen was driving, like she always had. The others were clutching their seats. She was used to the Middle East and the calm traffic of Key West was not ready for her. Jen had a hard expression on and the others were shocked at how horrible her driving was. When she finally pulled into a parking place with her marine uniform on, she got out, never having buckled her seatbelt.

"Ziva, I forgot how horrible your driving used to be. I think I was reminded today," Tony said.

Ziva chuckled.

"Where did you learn to drive?" Gibbs said, getting out of the car and staring at his daughter.

"Eli taught me," Jen said in a cold tone that showed no emotions.

"He apparently taught you to mask things as well," Gibbs said.

"I could argue that I inherited that from my father," she said, shooting a glare over to her father and opening the trunk for them to take their luggage out.

Jen exchanged a glance with Ziva and remembered the conversation that they had had a moment before going to the airport while the boys finished getting ready.

**_"Ziva, you must keep the personal to yourself," Jen told her softly. "If you can keep Gibbs from noticing anything then you are doing well. But, there are others there that are better trained at spotting these things. Cold and hard is how they will expect an ex-Mossad assassin to behave. Don't worry, I have warned Tony of this as well and he is going with it as well. There is no need to inform Gibbs."_**

**_"I know, Jen," Ziva said with a sigh. "We will make you proud, even if I have to shoot Tony in the foot to keep him serious."_**

**_"Good," Jen said with a chuckle. "Here they come."_**

Jen had spent the night getting to know Tony, since she was trusting him to go pick up Isaac David and she hardly knew him. She turned to him first. There were actually tears in her eyes as she fought to keep control over herself.

"You be careful," Jen whispered to him. "The Middle East is not some cake-walk from a movie. It is a very serious and very dangerous place. Keep low unless my father orders you to do otherwise. And adhere to his rules, as they are highly useful in the Middle East. Trust me on that one. And, keep them safe."

"I will do what I can, Jen," Tony said, pulling her into a hug. "Good luck in the beginnings of work."

"Thank you," Jen said and turned to Ziva.

Gibbs could see the tears flowing down his daughter's eyes. Apparently goodbyes were not her thing and he could only imagine why. She had been uprooted too many times in her past to not think that goodbyes were not painful to the ones she loved and she obviously viewed these people as a part of her family.

"Zi," Jen said.

"Take care," Ziva said. "Allow Jenny to help you if you should have nightmares. Or Abby. They are both really good people."

"Thank you," Jen said. "Keep him safe."

"All of them," Ziva said as a promise. "We will get him."

"Good," Jen said with a half a smile on her face and found Kort in her line of sight next. "I will see you soon enough."

"As always, young Jennifer," Kort said with a nod.

Then, Jen turned to her father. She had a serious look on her face as the tears flowed freely. She knew that this was not goodbye forever, but it might be. She knew, only too well, how easily everything could be taken away.

"Chin up, little marine," Gibbs said.

Jen picked her head up and looked her father in the eyes. The tears were not flowing as fast and made her brilliant blue eyes shine in the morning light. She let out a weepy smile and saluted to him with her right hand, pulling into an attention stance.

"Semper fi, Dad," she said quietly but firmly.

He saluted back to her. "Semper fi, my marine!" he said with a smile on his face as his memory was back with him strongly. "I love you, sweet pea!"

"I love you too, Dad," she whispered and leaned in and kissed his cheek before backing away and saluting again.

"Semper fi, always," he whispered as she backed up toward the car.

"Oorah," Jen said and laughed.

"That's my girl," Gibbs whispered and turned on his heel and followed the others to the airport.

When Gibbs caught up, he had tears in his eyes and the others were shocked. He was also smiling, which was another thing that was unusual for him.

"Boss?" Tony asked him curiously, walking alongside him.

"I've had that same conversation with her before," he said. "When she was two. There were a few differences. For instance, last time she saluted with her left hand and called me Daddy."

Ziva smiled and chuckled at her boss's memories. But, Tony could tell she was fidgeting. One brush of the back of his hand on hers as they swung loosely at his sides, made her relax and she looked up to him in warning. _Do not ruin this_, was clearly what she was saying. He nodded to her. _Don't worry, we act like we used to when we were angry with one another._ Hardly any touching, hardly any eye contact when it was not necessary. They both understood that. They had to pretend as though they were nothing more than a couple of killers while they were in the Middle East and it started now.

They boarded the plane and it took off immediately because it was a private jet. None of them spoke the whole way there, just as Jen didn't dare to think her whole ride home. It was a mission in the Middle East. They all hoped that they could pull it off, but they were not sure. That was what kept everyone silent and everyone thoughtless as they flew off or went back to work.

Jen reminded herself that it was a long flight and she arrived back at the beach house and sat down at her desk and started working on GPS tracking of the cell phones listed for Ray Cruz, Orli Elbaz, and Hassein Ulman and she read up her report on Hassein. She shook her head and continued what she was doing. She put out BOLOs on the three and continued her work. She glanced at McGee, who was working wildly. He was working on finding out what the classified email addresses of the three were before hacking into the databases. Jen knew she needed to help him, but she was going to Jenny first.

Jenny was getting bank, credit card records, phone records, and friend statements in order to review for the team. This was a difficult task as well, since they all were. Abby was analyzing forensic evidence and Ducky was working on psychological profiles. Everyone was working silently and Jen found and put on one song.

Everyone looked up at the sound of the lyrics to Amazing Grace as Jen sang along with it. The others looked at her in awe as she sang the song in a heart-felt way, as though she perfectly related to the words of the song. Tears were streaming down her face as she went on with it, but her voice never wavered from what she sang. It was beautiful and magical.

When she was finished, she sat there and allowed her tears to consume her for another few minutes and then smiled before returning to her work.

The group continued to work in silence for a long time and then it was Jenny who spoke up. She was smiling as she spoke.

"That does seem to describe your life, doesn't it?" she asked, looking straight at the young girl who was in charge of the case.

"Like it was written for me, or my life was written to suit it," Jen replied with a smile. "Hot mess."

Everyone laughed. After that they needed a little laugh, including her. They were not really getting anywhere just yet, but she stood up and looked at Jenny.

"Update me," she said.

"Nothing suspicious in the bank records, or the phone records. The three have made contact within the last year," Jenny said. "They have also made contact with the Bodnars in the last year. The most recent was from Ray Cruz to Ilan Bodnar a month ago. That is after he supposedly died. Credit cards are not being used."

"Thanks," Jen said and nodded to her. "McGee, any luck without hacking?"

"No," he said. "We're going to need to hack it."

"We wait until the Commandant contacts me tomorrow. He'll be on conference call in MTAC with me tomorrow morning, along with SECNAV, Director Vance, and a Special Agent Tobias Fornell. It also states that there will be a lawyer involved in the conversation. Some JAG Chegwidden?"

"A.J.," Abby said happily. "Your father likes him."

"A lawyer?" Jen asked. "I doubt that."

"You'll like him too," Ducky said.

"I doubt that," Jen said with a frown. "But, I will remain open minded. I used to not understand that rule until I met a lawyer. But, like the rules say, there are exceptions to every single one. Rule fifty one. Sometimes you're wrong."

"What do you think of Tony and Ziva?" McGee asked uncomfortably.

"Rule fifty one," Jen said. "Rule five."

They all smiled at her assessment. "Is that what your father would think?" Jenny asked.

"Don't know, Big Jen," Jenny said. "Guess we'll find out whenever they decide to share with him."

"Surely, he knows?" Ducky asked.

"Well, of course he knows, Duck," Jen said. "How could you miss it? He's not an idiot. He knows. He's going to let them come to him though. He trusts that they will, but we all know that this case is very important."

"Yes, I think we _all_ realize how important this case is to our careers," Abby said. "Now, in Parsons file, who exactly is charged with what?"

"Me, my father, Ziva, Tony, and Isaac are accused of international espionage. The rest of you are considered accessories, which is not as bad. But, Isaac and I are also accused of treason and espionage to the United States. He was considering charging Ziva with the same for her minor indiscretion in Israel, which was not what it seemed to the eye that was untrained."

"What does that mean?" McGee asked.

"Not my place, McGee," Jen said. "Not my place. I still have to talk to Ziva."

"Um…," he said uncomfortably as Jen went back to her desk.

There was another while of silence and then Jen got up and stretched.

"Five o'clock, we're done for the day. Jenny and Abby you've got dinner tonight. I'll be in the basement."

They all exchanged a look as she chuckled and went down the stairs. There was wood there and she did start to work with it, much to Ducky's humor. And while drinking bourbon, to McGee's humor.


	36. Isaac

**Chapter 36**

**Isaac**

Jen stood in the dining area, waiting for the others to come on. She was alone in the room, as she had requested the others to stay out of this conversation. This was her first time meeting her father's best friend and she already knew that they had an ex-wife in common.

Finally the screen popped up and the five men came on screen.

"Good to see you again, Ellison," she said immediately. "Jarvis. Vance."

"Good morning, Gibbs," the three said in unison.

"You must be Tobias Fornell?" Jen asked. "I'm Jennifer Ann Gibbs. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Yes, absolutely wonderful," he said with a hard face on. "Gibbs failed to mention that he had a living and breathing daughter."

"You should know by now that he's a quiet and personal person," Jen said with a smile on her face. "You should also know by now that he didn't actually know if I was living and breathing until a short time ago. I know you were supposed to meet him, but he is out at the moment, rescuing someone."

"Of course, he's playing the hero again," Vance said shaking his head.

"I ordered it, Vance," Jen said.

"I thought you would go to get him," Ellison questioned.

"Rule ten, Ellison. Never get personally involved in a case," Jen said. "I intend to not do that, although it is all personal from here on for at least one of us at a time. But, in this case the personal feelings would have gotten in the way. That is why I requested another person for the case, although that fell under a different rule."

"How are things on your end?" Vance asked.

"I need permission to hack into the CIA, Mossad, and the Somali terror cell," Jen said. "I need this permission to cover my own ass a little more. Without this permission it is illegal and I get into more trouble. Which I have no problem with, but then I have to do it on my own in a place where the others can't know the information and since the CIA is involved the charges against me are greater. I really have no wish to go against Parsons, but I'm assuming that he's not far from where you are now?"

"He's in my office," Vance replied. "He has been asking where Ducky and Abby are. Please tell me you are making some progress."

"We've only made us much as we can without hacking," Jen said.

"Then permission is granted," Vance said.

"What are you doing?" A.J. asked. "You're only going to get yourself into trouble Vance."

"Vance has immunity A.J.," Jen said. "He signed a waver of cooperation with Parsons. As long as he is cooperating to the best of his ability, or making it look like he is, then Parsons can't touch him. We'll deal with him later."

"You're going to need a hell of a strong lawyer," A.J. said. "I know a couple that'll be able to help you."

"As long as Parsons doesn't cross the lines," Jen said. "I do have permission to terminate if necessary."

"From who?"

"Ellison, Vance, Jarvis… isn't that enough?"

"I guess so," A.J. said with his eyes narrowing at the young girl.

She laughed.

"That smile doesn't come from your father does it?" Fornell asked.

"Nope," she said smiling again. "Shannon."

"Well, what can you tell us?"

"That Ray Cruz is a mole. Orli Elbaz is a spy. And Hassein Ulman is a terrorist," Jen said. "All things you suspected. But they are the truth of the matter. Hassein should have been taken care of earlier and I have a personal stake on him."

"What about rule whatever that was?"

"Trust me, Ellison," Jen said. "This is one case where personally involved means I know the suspect better than others. I also intend to personally catch Ilan and make him pay for everything."

"Everything, being?"

"My business for the moment, Vance," Jen said. "I think the meeting is over until I can get more information and enough to build a case. You do realize that these three will need to be shot, which may finally break ties from the US and Israel?"

"It won't. You will manage to make it look like a Mossad hit. Which means you clean it well."

"I did learn from the best," Jen said with a smile. "I'm sure that Ziva and Isaac will be able to help me with that."

"So, he's found?" Ellison asked.

"Not as of the last I knew."

* * *

"I still can't believe that ass left us!" Tony nearly shouted into the silence of the hotel room.

Tonight was the night before they were going to finally go get Isaac David back. He was being held in a basement in Haifa. They were currently in a hotel on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. None of them had slept much. With the fact that Gibbs had woken to find Tony holding Ziva and with Ziva waking up from nightmares and the fact that Gibbs paced when he couldn't sleep. It was turning into a long mission. But now, Gibbs was smiling.

"You didn't catch that hint, did you DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"And apparently I missed it, too," Ziva said. "What was the hint?"

"Jen ordered him to not stay, Ziva," Gibbs said. "He said that he would escort us here. She said nothing about staying or going back. You need to learn Gibbs speak."

"Well, hell!" Tony shouted. "I was not expecting Gibbs talk from someone other than you, boss! She's just a girl with your last name and stare and rules and eyes!"

"That's my daughter so watch yourself, DiNozzo," Gibbs said.

"Not saying anything against it," Tony defended himself. "She's got Shannon in her too, though. Because that hair and that smile is definitely not yours. No offense, meant, boss. I just didn't think she could be so much like you. And, for the record boss, I would defend her with my life, so therefore I think I have the right to make fun."

"Take that up with her fiancée," Gibbs said bitterly. "Can't believe my youngest baby is alive, grown up, and engaged."

"To my brother," Ziva said in the same disbelief.

Tony had been tortured with this since the very beginning. They were definitely getting on each other's nerves, but they always worked through it afterwards. When it was the three of them they always annoyed each other. He just never expected Ziva and Gibbs to have many of the same emotions from such different points of view. He shook his head and decided not to get in the middle.

"What no movie reference, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, trying to bring him into this too. "No joke or childish remark?"

"Not tonight, boss," Tony said, feeling very resigned. He sat down and held his head in his hands. "I think it's time for bed."

"I agree," Ziva said and crawled under her covers and turned off her light. Tony lay down on the bed also and rolled away from her and Gibbs sighed. He decided to get into bed as well and turn out the remaining light. He smiled to himself when he heard the other two shift to hold onto one another through the night. He realized that Ziva hardly had any nightmares when that was how they slept.

* * *

They arrived on the beach in Haifa. They moved slowly and carefully. They were also silent, using only their eyes to communicate. Ziva was in front since she was more familiar with the area. She glanced back and Tony. Gibbs was on a hill with a sniper rifle set up, just in case. _That's the house_, she was communicating as she tilted her head toward it.

Tony gave a nod as they approached quietly. _I'll get your six_, he told her with his eyes.

They made it to the front door of the house and Ziva pulled out a paperclip and glanced around one last time to make sure she was covered. Tony was at her back and looking around vigilantly. Soon the door clicked and she pushed it open quietly. She crept into the house and stood with Tony at her back and her gun raised.

They heard a noise below them and Ziva turned to share a glance with Tony and then looked at the floor. _He's down there._ Tony nodded and tilted his head in the direction of the stairs that led downward. _I'll take the lead, follow me._ She nodded in reply.

Both of their guns were raised without saying a word to each other. The ground floor of the house was clear and they headed down the stairs together and each looked one way. Tony glanced back at Ziva and shook his head again, his eyes narrowed. _Clear over here_, he was telling her. She nodded in reply and indicating her direction, this time. _Follow._

They moved along to find Isaac sleeping and chained on his back to a couch. Ziva tipped her head toward the couch and then toward the room on the other side. _Let's check it_. Tony nodded and squinted his eyes. _Follow my lead, watch your back_.

She followed him and watched their backs. "Clear," Tony whispered and turned around.

Ziva pulled out her paperclip and undid the lock on the chain and then woke Isaac up. He jumped as Ziva covered his mouth so that he wouldn't yell. Tony stood back.

"Ziva!" he hissed quietly with shock on his face. "How did you find me? And, where have you been all these years?"

"Long story, Isaac," she said. "We need to move."

"Wait, no one knew I was taken," Isaac said.

"Jen knew," Tony said.

Isaac stood up and pulled a gun. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Ziva knocked the gun out of his hands and pushed his back into a wall. "You pull a gun on my partner again and I will hurt you just bad enough," she warned.

He gulped and put his hands up in surrender.

"There's another and if you pull a gun on him, you're probably not going to get a warning," Tony said. "Ziva was really nice about this. But, Gibbs is not so forgiving."

"If this is Ziva nice, I hate to see her pissed off," Isaac said. "She used to be sweet to me."

Ziva looked at Tony with an apology in her eye. Her emotions had finally gotten in the way, but at least it was with Isaac and everything could be explained to him later. They led him out of the building and soon found Gibbs.

"Isaac, this is Leroy Jethro Gibbs, our boss," Ziva introduced.

"Gibbs?" he asked. "Like… wow!"

"Yes, like Jennifer's father," he said sternly. "Come with us."

"How do I know you guys aren't CIA?" he asked.

"No trust," Ziva told Tony as she dragged her brother along by the wrist and Tony took the other one to assist. "He's never had much. But, that was because of what Eli did to all of us. He was constantly lying and manipulating. It affected him worst of all when Ari turned. Except maybe Jen. She was crushed. Ari was her comfort when she had to do a mission at a young age. But, then he turned and she tried to hide her nightmares from us. She didn't want to seem weak in case Ari ever came back."

"I can see that he has no trust," Tony said. "That was you not too long ago. You wouldn't have told me that a year ago."

"Nope, you're right," Ziva said. "Things change. America is good for me."

"Yes, absolutely," Tony said. "Maybe after the mission is over he'll stop serving countries and he'll be able to relax a little."

"Well, from what I've seen in Jen, top secret and classified is not the way she wants her life. She just wants to be a person," Ziva said.

"And she can turn down the promotion if she so chooses," Gibbs said. "But that means her severance pay is also lower as well, which is probably why she hasn't turned one down yet. I think the only thing that will stop her is a job offer from somewhere. I know there are a bunch of agencies lined up. Plane leaves in two days."

"We're stuck in that room for another two days, boss?" Tony asked.

"Yea. Quality time with my girl's fiancée," Gibbs said with a smirk. "I'd love to see how he'd do with a father with interrogation skills that don't involve torture."

"What kind of interrogation is that?" Isaac asked.

"An American one," Ziva said with a laugh. "Tony do you remember my first interrogation by myself?"

"Yea, with that guy on PcP?" he asked. "That was interesting. You had no idea what was okay to do and what was not. He was literally going to attack you and you just sat there, glancing back at the window as though asking for help. You looked like a child that had no idea what was coming at her."

Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva all laughed. Isaac was very confused and shaking his head.

"What happened to you, Ziva?" Isaac asked.

The others laughed again but no one answered.

"Just cooperate, Isaac," Ziva said. "You'll see your beloved fiancée in a while. But, she is busy and if you get in the way of this Gibbs will come down hard on you."

"Rule twelve," Gibbs said.

"You know her rules too?"

"They're my rules," Gibbs said. "She borrowed them. Or rather, she was given those rules by her mother."

"I knew that," he said. "But I didn't realize that they weren't hers… that they were her father's. She missed you, you know. I still wish to know what agency you work for."

"In good time," Tony said. "I'm going to warn you on behalf of the three of us and a few others. If you hurt Jen you will pay for it."

"I'm fully aware of that, thanks," he said. "But I can see that she has gained family members in my absence."

"It was necessary."


	37. Welcoming Them Home

**Chapter 37**

**Welcoming Them Home**

"She has been pacing all morning," Abby said to McGee from behind Jen. "I wish she would stop. They're not due in for another hour."

"I'll check the flight plan again to be sure that it's on time," McGee said.

"Could you make her stop pacing?" Abby asked.

"I can hear you, you know," Jen said with a soft glance back to Abby, who looked instantly guilty.

"Abby, leave her alone," Kort said, coming to the bottom of the stairs. "She often goes without seeing Isaac and has been very worried about him. Besides, her father and Ziva were also on this mission and they are both family."

"I know, I know," Abby said with a wave of her hand. "It just worries me how impatient she is. Her father can sit still for hours waiting at a time. She doesn't seem to have that quality."

"I did have a mother, you know," Jen said, still pacing the hall. "Her name was Shannon and from everything I remember and everything I have heard, she was not the most patient person in the world."

Jenny chuckled at her argument. "And you grew up with Eli David, who wanted instant gratification."

"Doesn't everyone?" Abby asked.

Everyone except Jen laughed about this. She was still pacing back and forth and no longer paying attention to the on goings of the room. She was only focused on what she could hear outside. She continued to pace while McGee assured the others that the flight was scheduled to land on time.

The others were working as Jen paced. Finally, Jen decided to sit on the porch. Jenny followed her out.

"Something on your mind?" she asked.

"I'm nervous," Jen admitted.

"What about?"

"Dad's been with Isaac for a few days," Jen said to her, looking at her with a knowing glance.

Jenny chuckled and went back inside while shaking her head. Jen sat there for another half hour when a car started down the driveway. Another few minutes and it was parked. Jen's head was down and she only heard the doors to the car. She counted out four doors closing before she looked up to see three former Special Agents and one marine approaching her. She stood up slowly and looked at each of them, almost like she was taking an inventory to see that there really were not serious injuries.

Isaac was walking next to Gibbs. Ziva and Tony were next to each other. They were not touching, but they were close. Isaac was glancing between Gibbs and Jen. She was glancing between Isaac and her father. Gibbs was glancing between his daughter and his future son in law.

Jen stepped down the steps of the porch and began to run straight for Isaac. She nearly leapt into his open arms and he pulled her into a hug, picking her right up off her feet and spinning her around. She kissed him on the cheek and then blushed as she was set back down and turned to her father. He was smiling at the sight. Ziva and Tony were also smiling.

"Thank you," Jen said to her father and then nodded also to Ziva and Tony.

"Anything, anytime," Gibbs said with the smile widening on his face. "He's a great guy, Jen."

Jen smiled and then turned to face Isaac. "He doesn't know you at all, does he?"

"We had a little heart to heart," Isaac said.

"Little?" Ziva asked.

"Nope, not little at all. The last four days were a heart to heart," Tony said carefully.

Jen laughed at this. It was great to have them home. Ziva had her brother. Jen had her fiancée and her father, as well as Ziva, who was like her sister. And Tony. Tony was like her brother already.

"Let's get inside and you can all update us on what you have so far!" Gibbs said.

Jen smiled and led the way. As they got inside Kort was smiling softly at what he saw. Jenny was smiling, but didn't dare to move. She remembered too well the little heart to heart that her and Jen had had last night after one of Jen's nightmares.

**_"So, now that's resolved," Jen said, sitting on the edge of her bed and looking to her left at Jenny. "We need to talk about my father."_**

**_"What about him?" Jenny asked._**

**_"What did I point out the first day we were all here?" Jen asked, as though she had no memory of it._**

**_"Yea, thanks for that," Jenny said with an eye roll to rival a teenagers._**

**_"Not a problem. Someone had to say it and the others were obviously too afraid," Jen told Jenny. "I guess I understand. My father has his rules and he is a little religious about them. One of the things he is not saying is that he is afraid that someone will replace Shannon in his heart. But, that's not the case, Jenny. He never felt that way about you. It was just assumed that you would never want that, because you rejected him once. He's still hurt, Jenny. You need to make him see that it's not like that anymore."_**

**_"How do you suppose I do that?" Jenny asked._**

**_"I don't know, go for a walk on the beach?" Jen asked. "Talk to him. I know he's not big on talking, but he talked to you when you were both undercover in Paris, right?"_**

**_"Yes, he did," Jenny said._**

**_"So, take some time and gain his trust back, Jenny," Jen explained. "Walk on the beach. Talk at night. You two are in the same room, because I happen to know how you feel about each other. It's not like either of you hide it very well."_**

**_"No, I guess you're right," Jenny said. "Okay. I'll do what I can. But, what if he doesn't cooperate at all?"_**

**_"You keep trying," Jen said. "I can see how he feels about you when he looks at you and he thinks no one else is watching. And, he's very protective of you, Big Jen. He wants you to be safe and happy. That's nothing small. He cares deeply about you, but his eyes tell me that he loves you."_**

**_"His words have never shared that," Jenny said. "Not once, ever. Probably had he said it all those years ago, something more would have come of it. I never would have gone off and worked with Mossad all that time. I never would have gone off as an agent afloat. I would have stayed with him. I would have fought to stay with him."_**

**_"That's because you love him, too, and you want that assurance that it's not for nothing," Jen explained. "My father holds a lot of things dear to his heart that he won't say out loud. You are one of those things. But, someone's got to make him open up. Yea, sure, I could do it, but what good would that do? It'll take him time to trust what he's feeling and that he can love you and still please his memory of my mother and honor me. I'll show him that you and I are perfectly fine with one another. Besides, you're the mother I never got to have."_**

**_"I won't be your mother, Jen!"_**

**_"I didn't mean that at all, Jenny. What I meant is I view you as a mother. I didn't have one and you would never replace the one I did have at one time. But, you are very much a mother I would want. I feel as though you are a mother to me," Jen explained. "You care for me the way a mother would care for a child."_**

**_"What about Eli's wife?"_**

**_"She was a wonderful woman who took excellent care of me. And, yes, I did call her Ima," Jen said. "There was a time when I called Eli Abba. But, he was not a wonderful father for me. So, he lost the title as soon as I realized exactly what he had done to me."_**

**_"That's good, I suppose," Jenny said thoughtfully. "Do you think you are fine to sleep now?"_**

**_"I can try, but the nightmares might return," Jen said honestly. "They usually go away when Isaac is around."_**

**_"When you are happiest," Jenny added for the younger red-head._**

**_They shared a hug and then Jenny left the room with a smile on her face, knowing that it was only a matter of time before none of them had to wake up to her screaming night after night and sometimes multiple times in a night._**

Jen walked over to Jenny and placed a kiss on her cheek. Isaac was following her.

"Everyone, this is First Sergeant Isaac David, my fiancée," Jen said. "Isaac this is everyone. Jenny Shepard, a woman who I view as a mother. Abby Sciuto, the forensics expert and an excellent sister. Doctor Mallard, or Ducky, the autopsy and psych guy, who is like a grandfather. Tim McGee, the awkward brother. Ziva David, you know. Tony DiNozzo, who you've met, yet another goofy brother. My father, Gibbs, who is great. And Kort, who's like that strange and slightly creeping uncle…."

"Creepy," Tony corrected automatically.

Jen smiled at him and then laughed. "Yes, he is the creepy uncle, that no one understands and everyone hates because they can. He seems cold and heartless, but there is a heart in there and his soft spot was always me."

"You got problems with English?" Gibbs asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I spoke primarily Hebrew for ten years of my life, what do you think?" Jen asked. "It is funny, because I spoke perfect English when I was eight. By the time I was eighteen I was so unused to speaking it and I had learned so many other languages that things started to get jumbled except for Hebrew."

"You speak Hebrew?" Tony asked.

"_Ken_," Jen said nodding her head and smiling at him. Ziva and Isaac both laughed. "_Ani ohev otach_, Isaac."

"_Gam ani ohevet otcha_, Jen," he whispered and placed a kiss on top of her head.

Gibbs was smiling. He knew what the interaction was, though he had never heard the words. The looks in their eyes were enough to give them away. No one was focused on work at the moment. They were all focused on Isaac and Jen in the center of the room. They stared for another moment until Jen ripped her eyes away from him.

"Okay, back to work," Jen said. "Jenny you worked on bank records and such. Go."

"Nothing highly unusual," she said. "No credit card transactions phone records are fairly clean, though there has been minimal contact between our three."

McGee stood up. "Their movements indicate that they are all in the Middle East. Orli is in Tel Aviv right now, though her presence is highly covered up. Ray is currently in Saudi Arabia, but he doesn't fail to get around. Ulman has been spotted in Yemen, but has gone back and forth between there and Somalia for a while. He is still using that camp, we believe."

"There have been numerous emails between the three which I have kindly translated from Arabic to English for all of us. They sometimes use Spanish, French, or Hebrew to throw off watchers. The one that got me was the series that was sent in German, that was around the time that Yaniv Bodnar was sent by his brother to Berlin to collect the diamonds for him. I was not expecting it, not that I don't know German, but I was just not expecting it."

"The forensics show that Ray Cruz and Hassein Ulman were both involved with the guy's severed head and that means there must be a body somewhere. Orli Elbaz's prints have shown up in various locations too where suspicion was high that the three were involved somehow," Abby explained.

"As for the psychological I have a lot," Ducky said. "Orli is your typical Mossad person, with very few emotions showing. But, primarily what I see is a need for dominance and a feeling of abandonment, which probably extends back to her time with Eli David or even before. It is difficult to say. Hassein is a terrorist and is pretty sociopathic, except that he likes to keep one or two close friends at all times; people he could trust to do his dirty work for him without question. Cruz is another matter. He shows all the signs of a serial killer and a terrorist all in one package. It is unnerving how emotionally unstable this man really is."

"Now, I have found in the emails," Jen said, "that they are to meet on the beach in Haifa in three months time. When they do we will be there to get them. I have split up the work already on who will go after who, but if there is a snag we all must be able to work together.

"Ziva and I will take Hassein and his crew. Tony and McGee will take Cruz and whoever he has with him. And Jenny and Gibbs will take Elbaz and her crew. Isaac you will assist Jenny and Gibbs as will you, Kort. She is Mossad and is skilled. Ducky and Abby will be at a base that we will set up in Haifa and they will monitor things for us from there.

"Now, we must all train and we must all remember what was lost from our days as either Federal Agents in training or marine corps personnel," Jen continued on. "We leave for Haifa in three weeks time. We have from now until then to sort everything out. That's the way of it. We also need to be able to work with each other for when one job is done. This is no easy job. We start training tomorrow. Everyone has the rest of the day off."


	38. Family Almost-Vacation

**Chapter 38**

**Family Almost-Vacation**

Gibbs sat in a chair on the porch. He was glad that everyone was off having fun, but his eyes were focused on the two on the beach right out in front of the house. He was smiling as he watched them act their age finally. He rocked in the chair and smiled at how Jen had organized this whole thing.

They had all agreed that Monday through Friday training was appropriate. Even Ducky and Abby were training because they were both going to be going over to Tel Aviv in September, she thought. Abby was going because she was useful in many ways and Ducky was going in case they needed medical attention on the way back to the United States.

But, today was Sunday and it was a good day for the younger ones to be off and having fun. Gibbs was already very sore. He had forgotten what marine-like training was like, but he also could see that some of it was far more advanced than marine training and could only assume that she had gotten this knowledge from her time as a Mossad Officer when she lived in Israel.

Right at that moment, Jen and Isaac were chasing each other on the beach. Jen had just tossed Isaac into the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico, and he was trying to repay her the favor. While they screwed around he could see that they were both very well trained and he was thankful that they had each other to do this with. He smiled.

The door behind him opened up and Jenny came out and sat down next to him. She began to rock in her chair.

"Aren't they wonderful?" she asked him.

"Yes," Gibbs said. "I didn't want to see that, because I don't want to lose her so soon, but they are right for each other."

"Just like a few others that we know, right?" Jenny asked.

"Tony and Ziva," Gibbs said thoughtfully. "They are soul mates, Jenny. Abby and McGee, though they are so different that it's odd to see how well they work together as a couple, not that they are, but they should be. But… you and me."

Jenny stopped rocking and looked at him. She had planned on bringing that up today, but he had beaten her to it.

"Jenny, I was too afraid to admit it before, but we are right for each other, I can feel it," Gibbs said.

"Rule one, never screw your partner," Jenny said with a small laugh to herself.

"Actually, it's never screw your partner over," Gibbs corrected her. "But, I perhaps should have written it your way since it seems to clarify rule twelve that way."

"Are you going to hold rule twelve against Tony and Ziva?" Jenny asked.

"What do you mean, Jenny?"

"Well, it's obvious with those two, isn't it? They are obviously together," Jenny said, looking at Gibbs as though accusing him of hiding information.

"They have not told me they are together. So, until they do I am going to pretend like I see nothing," Gibbs said. "But, when they do come to me, I suppose I am going to allow rule twelve to slide. You do realize that they have not been home since Friday night?"

"I know," Jenny said. "I wonder what Abby and McGee are up to today?"

"I don't know," Gibbs said shaking his head and thinking of his family.

* * *

Abby glanced at McGee. Their day had been filled with silence so far. Neither one of them was willing to say what they were feeling. Suddenly McGee's phone was ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and stopped dead as he looked at it. He had thought that chapter of his life was over. He shot an apologetic look to Abby as he answered his phone.

"McGee," he said into the phone, now used to the professional phone conversations that he had always been used to.

"Tim, I'm sorry I called, I hope I didn't interrupt you with something," Delilah's voice said on the other end of the phone.

"Not really, Delilah," McGee said into the phone. "What are you calling for?"

"Well, two things really. My friend still needs her computer fixed is the first," she said quietly into the phone. "She wanted me to ask you again if you would do it. I can give you her phone number if you would like?"

"Actually, I won't be able to do that for a while. You see, I'm not in the area. I'm quite a ways away from there actually. I'm about 1200 miles away from you," McGee said.

"Why are you away from Washington, I thought you weren't working?" Delilah asked, and they were both silent. "Never mind, I guess it's none of my business… but, about that. I'm sorry for what I said. I overreacted a couple of weeks ago about your job. I know that you'll get it back, I can feel it. I could feel it then. I was just so shocked by what you did for your boss. I am so sorry, Tim."

McGee was totally silent as he listened to her apology and he did not know what to say. He glanced at Abby again and felt a pang of guilt for just taking the phone call and knew that he could not accept the apology.

"You did overreact," he said quietly, without accepting the apology.

"Tim, I would like it if you would give me another shot at this," Delilah said. "I... I don't know what came over me. I really like you, Tim. You're all I've been thinking about these last couple weeks."

"I'm sorry, Delilah," he said firmly. "I don't think I want to do that. What you and I had, it was fun while it lasted. But, no offense meant, you are very emotional and my lifestyle does not encompass emotional very well, since I am a Federal Agent most of the time and get called in at all hours of the day and night. I need someone who understands my busy life and can work around it and you were very frustrated with it."

"That was only because I hardly ever saw you or heard from you in the first three weeks we were together. I mean, what does that hold for the future?" Delilah asked, but not in an emotional or angry way.

"With someone who doesn't understand it, it doesn't hold much for the future," McGee said. "Like I said, I need someone who understands that and accepts that all the time and shows me that, rather than just says it and acts another way. I'm sorry, Delilah, but I cannot give this another shot, especially since I am so far away right now and working on something very important."

"You are working again?" she asked.

"No, Delilah, I am not working again," McGee lied, since this was all classified and she wasn't supposed to know. He didn't know how high her security clearance was, but they had been told that no one outside of their group was to know that they were working, or working for the Federal Government, or working on a case at all.

"Then, what are you doing out of Washington?" she asked.

"That, Delilah, is none of your business. I'm not interested in getting things back together with us. If we were having that much of a problem after three weeks, we are never going to survive as a longer relationship," McGee explained. "I'm not going back, that's it. Good bye, Delilah."

McGee hung up the phone and put it pack in his pocket. Abby was looking away from him and out toward the ocean. Her expression was troubled, as though she was the cause for such a conversation, even though she had heard what had happened between them. McGee wondered what to do about her, but had an idea, since she was not at all focused on him.

He walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Sorry about that," McGee whispered, too close to her ear. He smiled when she shivered. "I thought that was all tied up."

"Seems like it is to me," Abby said, without looking at him. "I hope that went as you wanted it to and not because someone was standing next to you. You know, I wouldn't blame you for going back with her. She is pretty."

"I'm not after looks alone, Abby," McGee said with a sigh. "I'm after someone who gets me. Not just the goofy nerd who loves computers, the me that loves my job and would do anything for my boss, my family."

Abby smiled to herself and then continued walking without another word.

* * *

Ziva and Tony were walking along the beach smiling at one another. They were glad that they had come together and both wished they had done so sooner. It was strange to be together and to know that they were working together. They had just enjoyed a fantastic lunch. They could see Abby and McGee up ahead, with McGee's hands on Abby's shoulders. They both silently wondered what McGee had done to piss her off this time.

Ziva could see beyond that. She could see ahead on the beach where Isaac and Jen were playing on the empty patch of beach and she smiled. She was genuinely happy for them. She could also see the two figures on the porch sitting next to each other and rocking as they glanced into each other's eyes. Everything was just about perfect and it was great that they were all together like this, even if there was work involved.

Ziva was actually very sore from the training that they had done so far that week. She had not trained in a long time and could tell that not all of that was taken from Mossad. Some of it had been taken from the Marines and she found it rather beneficial to have another source to learn from finally. But, Jen's training sessions were nothing like anything any of them had been to. They were intense and difficult to work through. Half of it was done in the air and the other half was practiced on a person, with minimal to no contact, except between her and Isaac, where they had vowed full contact and hardly ever touched one another because they were both so good.

Ziva had been surprised when Trent Kort had involved himself in the training, so that he was just as prepared as the others. He was going to help them in September, which was very beneficial to them, since Kort was one of the reasons that this was such a mess, but not the biggest reason.

Ziva stopped and looked at Tony. Tony looked back at her.

"What?" he asked.

"I was just admiring the view," Ziva said. "So I thought I would include you in it."

She smiled at him and he smiled back at her. She walked straight up to him and leaned into him. She pressed her lips to his and kissed him, allowing it to deepen in a way that told him that they should not be in a public place for this kind of kissing.

"Ziva," he whispered. "We are still outside and on a beach."

"I am aware of where we are," she whispered with a smile. "I just wanted to kiss you. Seemed like a good idea."

Tony smiled. "It does, doesn't it, my love?" he asked.

Ziva smiled now. She took his hand and they continued to walk and then they caught up with Abby and McGee and walked up next to them.

"Hey," Abby said.

"Hey," Tony and Ziva said at the same time smiling at her.

"When are you two going to share this with Gibbs?" McGee asked.

"Not until the mission is over," Tony said. "It's not fair to add to the stress of the mission. But we do plan on being completely honest with him."

"He's not going to be happy," McGee said.

"Don't count on it, McGee," Abby said. "Something about Gibbs is too different since Jen walked into our lives."

"He's nice," Ziva said. "Filled with love and joy. You can tell that he is a great father."

"He's even been smiling and laughing," Tony said. "I've heard a joke or two come out of his mouth too."

"And, I've seen very many emotions pop up on his face," Ducky said, catching up to the four of them. "I'm with Abby. He's not going to come down hard on you, Tony and Ziva. I think he will be very happy for you two. It is a long time now that we've been able to see what you two really are to each other. I'm just glad that you finally see it yourselves. I think that you will find Jethro very forgiving of the situation no matter when you present it to him."

Everyone smiled. They continued to walk without another word. Ziva took Abby's hand and Abby took McGee's hand. Ducky took McGee's and they all walked silently toward their spot on the beach.

When they reached it Jen took Tony's hand and Isaac took Jen's. They stood there for a moment taking in the view and felt as though they were all truly family now.

Tony looked past Jen and to Isaac.

"Isaac," he said. "If you hurt Jen, I will personally see to it that you suffer."

"Thanks," he said with a smile. "I should hope so, because if I hurt her that means I have been a fool and was not thinking clearly."

Everyone smiled at that. They walked toward the house as they were. Gibbs and Jenny were already inside preparing dinner for them and they smiled at the sight of the two working effortlessly in the kitchen together as a team.


	39. An Unexpected Call

**Chapter 39**

**An Unexpected Call**

Jen stood on the front porch of the house throwing knives at the wall. They had been training for two more weeks, almost. Not much had happened in those two weeks as the whole team got stronger and more fit. She and Ziva had just gotten back from an early morning run. Isaac had an infection and was sleeping it off. Ziva watched from the rocking chair as Jen picked her knife out of the wall and threw it one more time, this time a little angrier.

"What is bothering you?" Ziva asked Jen.

"I am fine," Jen said as she stepped forward to take the knife again.

She threw it with more force than the time before. She was annoyed or bothered about something and wasn't talking about it and Ziva could see that.

"No, you are not," Ziva said thoughtfully.

Jen turned around and pulled the knife out of the wall at the same time. She sighed and sat down in the other rocking chair. She closed her eyes and rocked for a moment. She sighed again and opened her eyes and looked at Ziva.

"I miss my mother," Jen finally said. "Jenny is wonderful and has been a great role-model to me throughout my life, even when she was no longer my guardian, but she is not my mother and it is not the same. I miss Shannon terribly. I know that I'm the one who pushed Dad and Jenny together, but I feel like Mom would frown about it. But, only for a second. It is just eating me that I'm the one who did this."

"They had a choice, Jen," Ziva said. "Your father does deserve to be happy."

"I know," Jen said. "I don't know why it's getting to me so much."

"A lot of things have been getting to you lately," Ziva noticed. "Just the past few days. But, still. You seem a little emotional and a little overwhelmed with everything. I've never seen you like that."

"Probably just PMS," Jen said with a shrug.

Ziva laughed at her excuse. It was not like Jen to use an excuse, but Ziva didn't remember her ever acting like this before. She shrugged and continued to rock. None of the others would be up for a while. Jen fell asleep in the rocking chair. Around eight Ziva got up to go make breakfast.

She found Tony inside looking around curiously.

"Sorry," Ziva said, feeling suddenly guilty for not letting him know where they had been. "Jen and I went for a run. She's sleeping in the rocking chair on the porch."

"She went back to sleep? That's not like her," Tony said quietly.

"She's fine," Ziva said quietly. "Help me with breakfast? We could make something nice for everyone. I think we're all getting a little restless."

"I think so too. We still have two and a half more months of this," Tony said quietly.

"Only two months. Then we have two weeks in Haifa," Ziva explained. "We'll make it through."

Tony stood up and joined her in the kitchen. They worked seamlessly as though they had rehearsed how to make breakfast with each other in the kitchen. Gibbs was standing in the doorway and watching most of the time. He had heard the conversation about Jen from the stairs. He was now watching his two best agents do work in a different way and still end up being as fluid as ever. He smiled at them when Ziva noticed that he was standing there.

"Good morning, boss," Ziva said smiling and finishing up the last of the omelets.

"I'll plate those with DiNozzo. You go wake up Jen," Gibbs said.

Ziva nodded and left the room. She listened to the two talking.

"Tony?" Gibbs asked, handing him a plate.

"Thanks, boss," Tony said.

Gibbs grabbed his arm. "You don't have to hide so much," he said quietly to his senior field agent.

"What are you talking about?" Gibbs asked.

"You heard me, Tony," Gibbs said. "You don't have to hide so much."

"I'm not hiding anything," Tony said with a shrug, knowing exactly where Gibbs was going with that.

"Okay, DiNozzo," Gibbs said. "Can I tell you that it might be beneficial to get it out in the open now."

"How so?"

"Just some thoughts I was having," Gibbs said with a shrug. "Come on, we all know what's going on. Jen could see it and she's never even worked with the two of you. How else do you think she figured out the room assignments?"

"Never really thought about it, boss," Tony said with a shrug.

Ziva continued walking, not wanting to hear the rest of the conversation, feeling as though she were eavesdropping on a father and a son at the moment. She went out the front door and up to Jen.

"Jen?" Ziva said.

"Mm," she answered.

"Breakfast is ready," Ziva said.

"Oh, god! What time is it? How long was I out?" Jen asked, coming to suddenly.

"It's only nine. You were our for about three hours. I guess you were still tired. Are you sleeping well?"

"Just not last night," Jen said. "I'll be fine. It's Saturday and we have the day off."

"That a girl! Come on, let me help you up," Ziva offered and reached her hand out.

As soon as Jen was up she could feel her head spinning. She clung to Ziva's shoulder to steady her while her vision returned to normal and her head stopped spinning.

"Stood up too fast," Jen said quietly and walked back into the house with Ziva.

Ziva was watching her carefully when the others finally came down the stairs. Kort was the last one in the room and he had come out of the dining area.

"There is a call in MTAC for Ziva and Jen," he said quietly. "It is Ilan Bodnar and he wants to speak with the two of you now."

"Is it absolutely necessary?" Jen asked quietly.

"Yes," Kort said.

Ziva and Jen got up and Tony and Isaac stood up too. Jen shook her head at them and they sat back down. Jen nearly chuckled at the worried expressions that they were sharing now.

"Don't worry, boys," Jen said. "We'll have each other's backs the way we used to when we were kids. I promise you."

"This isn't going to be easy, Jen," Ziva admitted.

"He thinks that because we're women we will be easier to break. Let's break him. If someone thinks they have the upper hand, you break it. Rule sixteen," Jen reminded Ziva.

Ziva smiled at her and they could hear Gibbs' chuckle behind them. They both walked out of the kitchen and into the dining room where the face of Ilan Bodnar stood in front of them on a large screen television that Jen had brought with her for this purpose alone.

"Ilan," Jen said calmly.

"Jen, Ziva. Good to see you both," he said quietly. "I told both of you before, you are not to meddle. This is far deeper than you think it is and I'm upset to see that you are all still meddling in it."

"It is not your say what we chose to do, Ilan," Ziva said quietly. "It is our choice. We were all given a choice and we have chosen to follow the orders of the United States Marine Corps. We thank you for your concern."

Jen cut the transmission then and looked at her computer screen.

"He is in DC," Jen said. "Looks like we have some work to do."

"He is not dumb enough to be tracked," Ziva said.

"I wasn't going based on this. I was going based on what I know of him and one of the locations that was labeled by his phone on this," Jen said quietly. "It is the only place that feels safe enough to him right now. Remember how well I know Ilan."

"Right, because he kept trying to get you away from Isaac. And Abba disagreed?" Ziva asked as Gibbs came in.

"That's because Abba actually cared a little, Zi," Jen said quietly. "He actually took a moment to see that as unhappy as Isaac and I were, we were happier and more tolerable together than we were apart. You weren't around for that part of it. But, he gave out a lot of apologies that were never heard by others, like you. I guess that all went away when he thought you betrayed him because you were loyal to NCIS. He was a piece of work, Zi."

"I know," Ziva said stiffly. "You think he actually cared, or were you two just too compatible together, like you are now?"

"A little of both, Zi," Jen said quietly, resting her chin on her knees as she pulled them up on her chair. "Abba tried to have me and Ilan work together for a mission, but that didn't turn out in anyone's favor. I ended up severely injuring Ilan when he insisted that we get physical, even though it was not an undercover operation. The mission failed and Ilan was sent to the hospital." Jen shrugged her shoulders, causing her whole body to move with the motion.

"You never were good at following those kinds of orders," Ziva said. "But Abba was so angry when he found out that you and Isaac had actually done something on a mission."

"That's because I was sixteen and he was still trying to protect me," Jen said quietly. "But you are not one to talk. How many times did he threaten to eliminate you before you finally started to follow orders to do that?"

"Too many," Ziva said with a chuckle. "That was one of the worst parts about Mossad. The orders to be physical with the men, because men were stronger and always had the choice. I was so stubborn. I ended up hurting a few of them when I was younger too."

"I remember," Jen said with a devious smile on her face. "I remember when he ordered you to please Ari."

Ziva shuddered with disgust. "I was fourteen," Ziva remembered. "I was repulsed then, but more repulsed now. He was my half-brother. How could he even think like that? And then he was so angry when you and Isaac went ahead and acted as you were told to act!"

"He told us to pretend," Jen confirmed. "He told us to pretend. Isaac was eighteen and I was sixteen. But Abba was always purposely blind to the fact that Isaac and I were together."

"I know," Ziva said with a smile.

They both laughed and then turned to see Gibbs standing there looking rather thoughtful as he listened to the girls remembering stories from their days in Mossad. He smiled at them and then motioned for him to come sit down.

"We have to go back to DC," Jen said quietly. "I will get Ilan, but I need a pair of cuffs. I am the only one who can take him down and keep him alive. He will stand trail in the American system, since Israel doesn't seem to want to do anything with him. Now I guess he will have to stand trial here for both murders of Eli David and Jackie Vance. I will call the director in an hour or so, that way I know he's at work without his kids."

"Good thinking, Jen," Gibbs said. "Hey, I didn't know that Isaac was your first and that you were so young."

His expression told the girls that this was an awkward conversation.

"Please, spare me a lecture," Jen said. "I got much worse than that when I returned from the mission. I got punishment from Eli David. That was never something fun to tolerate."

"I would imagine not," Gibbs said with a smile. "I was not going to lecture you. You are engaged and twenty four years old. You have a right to choose. But, I am still learning things about you. Things that I should have known."

"There are many things, Dad," Jen said.

"Like the fact that you call Eli Abba when you think no one is listening," Gibbs said with a smile. "I find it amusing that you refer to him as Eli most of the time, yet he is the man who raised you."

"Well, he was not a father," Jen said with a hard expression on her face. "He was a caregiver when he chose to be, but he hardly cared to do even that much most of the time. But, he did want to protect me. He always knew that there was a good chance that I was going to return to America and one day find my real father and that I would need something good to tell him. That was his only motivation and I knew that long before he ever mentioned anything about it to me, which he did in the end."

"Did you go to his funeral?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes," Jen said. "That was the last time that Ziva and I met."

Jen glanced over to Ziva and then back to Gibbs. She swallowed hard and then looked away from both of them.

"What are you not saying?" Ziva asked.

"Later, Zi. Let's get Ilan first," Jen said quietly and stood up to go inform the others that they were leaving the house tomorrow as soon as Abby could find all of them a private flight from Key West to Washington.


	40. Catching Bodnar

**Chapter 40**

**Catching Bodnar**

It was a nice private plane. They were oriented in a circle. Ziva sat with her back to the window, facing across to the other window, occasionally glancing at Tony. Tony was on her right, staring blankly ahead, as though he was lost in thought. Jenny was on his right with Gibbs next to her, they were holding hands and staring into each other's eyes, completely lost to the others on the plane. Jen was next to her father but leaning her head on and napping against Isaac's left side. Isaac was staring down at her with a look of concern or worry on his face, but Ziva couldn't tell how much concern was there or what it was for. Next to Isaac was Kort, who was also staring at Jen with a look of confusion on his face, as though something was horribly off with her. On Kort's right, Ducky was sleeping in his chair, leaning straight back, with his head to one side. And, on his right was McGee, who was holding onto a sleeping Abby on his right. Abby had worked through the night with Ziva to help figure out a plan for Jen, who was to make the arrest, since she was the only even match for Ilan in the group, including Ziva.

Ziva yawned a little since she hadn't gotten much sleep and glanced at Gibbs, who was completely focused on Jen, Isaac, and Kort. Ziva leaned into Tony's side and placed her head over his heart, where she felt right at home. His arms automatically went around her and she closed her eyes at having the physical contact that she so desired. It was nice to be able to rest easy, even though they had yet to talk to Gibbs about what was going on with them. Ziva was concerned about the mission, since Jen was not typically an investigator to make an arrest.

* * *

Ziva felt the arm around her tighten a little and a gentle kiss press to her forehead. She sighed and opened her eyes.

"Time to wake up, we're about ready to land," Tony whispered to her. "Abby's filled Jen in now that Jen has slept a little."

"Mhm," Ziva said and wiggled a little to stretch, without moving her head or getting up.

There was a soft chuckle from her right and she knew it was Gibbs. She supposed it was quite a sight to see her so innocent, but this was her family and she could sleep around them if she wanted to, especially on a private jet that was rented out by Vance for them to fly home. She knew it was safe to go into a vulnerable position.

The plane was definitely descending and she sat up and stretched just before it's wheels hit the runway of the airfield. She waited, with the others, as it came to a complete stop, taking in her surroundings.

Gibbs looked determined and seemed to be having a silent conversation with Jen over what was going to happen in a few minutes. Jenny was watching the two of them with interest. Kort was watching also.

Abby was bouncing her leg nervously. And glancing at Ducky who was glancing around at everyone as though he was trying to get a feel for all of the psychology that the room held right then.

McGee was staring at Abby, as though she might explode from the nerves she was clearly feeling, but he kept glancing over at Gibbs and Jen who were still sharing a silent conversation.

Tony was looking at Ziva and Ziva's eyes kept returning to Tony as though wanting to tell him something. She was nervous for Jen and her first arrest and probably interrogation without violence to come later today.

"Okay, we get off and we get our luggage and head out to Bodnar's current location," McGee said. "I've got a read from his cell phone where he is, along with traffic cameras that confirm his location. Jen and Isaac will go in together, can you two handle that."

Isaac looked worried. He had failed twice on two missions with this girl and he was concerned that it was going to fail again.

"We'll be fine," Jen said strongly. "Isaac, we can do this. We just have to keep it professional while we are holding a gun."

He laughed a little and so did the others that were surrounding them. They walked away from the airport and got into some cars. Jen and Isaac were together in one car and the others were piled into the NCIS van to watch what was happening. They were working as a team for the first time in a long time, with a couple of new added members to that team.

* * *

Jen and Isaac got out of the car with one small glance back at the NCIS van that was parked across the way and out of sight of the apartment. Jen glanced at Isaac and pointed to herself and then up the stairs. Then she put her fingers to her eyes and pointed to Isaac. _I'm going up first; you watch, follow my lead._ He nodded, confirming that he got the message.

Jen began her way up the stairs as silent as a ninja. She found the door and waited for Isaac to catch up. She had a make-shift badge for NCIS and a gun and cuffs ready, and so did he. She did not knock on the door. She pulled out a pocket-knife and picked the lock. She slowly opened the door and pointed her gun inside, looking everywhere.

The man they were looking for was sitting on the couch in front of the door, facing the television which was to their right. Jen kept her gun and gaze focused on Bodnar and crept into the room without his noticing. Isaac was following behind her, with his gun also pointed at the man.

"Good to see you, Jen," Ilan said as he noticed the two of them. "You are not here to shoot me, are you?"

Jen shook her head slightly and moved a little closer. He smiled at her and then noticed that Isaac was there also.

"I did not think he would come. You two hardly ever work together and I thought that field work would be a bit distracting," Ilan said with a false smile on his lips. "But, I guess I should have expected NCIS to come find me."

Jen stepped a little closer and Ilan stood up, his hands at his sides but obviously ready. Jen was standing straight in front of him and holding her gun with one hand and one hand on her back hip where the cuffs were. She dropped the gun and tackled him to the ground. She cuffed him and he struggled. But, she overpowered him.

"You were always a better fighter than I gave you credit for," Ilan said, sounding frustrated. "You have been training."

"Shut it," Isaac said.

They dragged him back down the stairs and were proud of themselves. They brought the suspect back to NCIS and shoved him in an interrogation room. Isaac and Jen stepped into the observation room as they watched Ilan pace back and forth from one end of the room to the other, looking to see if there was a way out of this. He had fought hard and was still here.

The door opened and Gibbs came in. Jen glanced nervously at him and then to Isaac. She nodded her head toward the door and Isaac left the room.

"What?" Gibbs asked.

"I've never interrogated someone without causing some form of harm to them," Jen admitted shamefully. "I'm not so sure I can do this by your rules."

"They're not my rules, kid," Gibbs said. "You have lead and Vance says any means necessary."

"Then, any means it will be," Jen said.

"Try not to hurt him, unless you have no choice," Gibbs said with a smile on his face. He had seen his daughter in action as an investigator for a while now and he was highly impressed that she had such a natural ability at it. It reminded him strongly of himself when he was first training for NCIS.

Jen nodded in response and met Ziva outside of the observation room. She was waiting for Jen. Jen looked at her.

"I'm new at this Ziva," she said honestly.

"We're going to play bad cop and bad cop," she said. "Just try not to hurt him too much when he lies."

"Twenty six," Jen said. "Never lie to Gibbs."

"Twenty two," Ziva said. "Never bother Gibbs during an interrogation."

They smiled at each other and walked into the room. Ziva set a file down on the table and Jen backed up to the edge of the room. Ziva was going to start the interrogation of Ilan and it was fully recorded, so they could see how civil she could be with the man that she clearly hated.

"You are charged with murder in the first degree of Jackie Vance and Eli David. You are also charged with felony assault of a Federal Agent of Ziva David and evading arrest," Ziva said.

"You are also charged with international espionage against Israel and the United States," Jen added. "You are considered a terrorist and your Miranda rights have been waived."

"What the hell are Miranda rights?" Ilan asked.

"It is not important," Ziva said. "You are a terrorist."

"Can't we make a deal? I talk, I give you what you want and then you give me something I want in return?" he asked.

"We do not make deals with terrorists," Ziva said, slamming both hands on the table in front of her. "Now, sit down!"

He did as he was told and sat down in the seat across the table from Ziva. Jen went to join her side and stood across from Ilan.

"Did you order a hit on Eli David?" Jen asked simply.

"That is none of your business," he said.

"Oh, do not assume so much. Do you know what happens when you assume?" Jen asked.

"You win," he said with a nasty smile on his face.

"No," Jen said simply.

"You are an ass," Ziva said suddenly.

"The biggest one of them," Jen said, walking around the table and kneeling down on one side of Bodnar. "Did you order a hit on Eli David?"

"It is not your business," he repeated.

"Yes, it is my business," Jen said. "I was sent to protect him. I was sent to watch out for him and make sure you were behaving yourself."

"What was I suspected in? Or was it espionage?"

"It was orders," Jen said quietly. "Did you order a hit on Eli David?"

"You were ordered to follow me and spy on me?" he asked. "Tsk, tsk, to the US government for that one."

"You are evading the question," Ziva said.

"No, I didn't," he finally said.

"Lies," Jen said, standing up straight and going to the folder with a flash drive in it. She plugged it into a computer that she had at the ready for this. She hit play as soon as the player came up.

They could hear his voice ringing out with many things going on in the background and they heard him distinctly say that the target was Eli David and he was to be followed and killed at first opportunity.

"That's not me," Ilan said.

"Yes, it is," Ziva said. "We have a voice analysis and it matches you and only you."

Ilan shuddered a little, but his face never changed.

"I didn't order the hit," he continued to speak.

Jen slammed her fist on the table in front of Ilan and he jumped at the sudden movement. "Do not lie to me, Ilan!"

"How would you know if I was lying or not?" he asked unhappily.

"Your expression. They are micro-expressions and every time you lie you have a tell!" Jen shouted at him.

She turned and walked out of interrogation. Ziva followed her. They made sure the door was shut and locked, so that he couldn't get out. They both stood in the hallway thinking. They needed time to come up with a way to break someone who was the ex-Deputy Director of Mossad. They had to find something on him. McGee and Abby were working together to find a weakness and Tony and Isaac were going through history to see if there was something they could use against him also.

Jen paced a little and then walked toward the squad room, where she nearly ran into Vance.

"I need to think," she said quietly as she passed him.

"It's great to have everyone back and all, but if Parsons comes in and all of you are here I'm in big trouble, so we need to find a new place within NCIS for you to work. I was thinking one of the observation rooms."

"That sounds fine," Jen said. "Abby and Ducky can still go to their locations."

"Yes, they can," Vance said. "McGee is helping Abby so they can email back and forth. I'll get it set up for tomorrow. We can hold him as long as you want now that you put terrorism out on the table."

"I know, that's why I threw it out there," Jen said. "That and the charges have enough evidence to stick, so we could indict him at any time. But, I really wish to break him."

"I know," Vance said with a smile. "I really want you to break him as well."

They shared a smile and went in different directions.


	41. A Long Interrogation

A/N - Sorry for the delay. I had to travel for a business meeting and was too busy to post new chapters. I'm back home now, so I should be able to get back on track.

**Chapter 41**

**A Long Interrogation**

"We've been trying to get him to break for four days!" Tony said to Ziva outside of the women's room at NCIS, playing with his visitors badge again.

"Gibbs is going to break him," Ziva said confidently. "I've seen Gibbs break the most stubborn of criminals, and he's not that stubborn in comparison."

"True," Tony said, brushing Ziva's hand lightly as he watched her walk by him and go into the bathroom.

As soon as Ziva closed the door and looked in front of her, she stopped. Jen Gibbs was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall. Her knees were curled to her chest and tears were streaming down her face as she rested her chin on her knees. She was across from a bathroom stall and staring at it as though it was the most terrifying thing in the world.

Ziva kneeled down in front of her and Jen hardly blinked and didn't look at Ziva. Ziva wanted to know what was going on, but she didn't know how to ask what was wrong. Ziva put a hand on the girl's shoulder and stared at her.

"Jen?" Ziva asked.

Jen made no movement and just continued to stare and cry. Ziva was confused and couldn't place the emotion on her face. It was different from anything she had ever seen before.

"Jen?" Ziva asked again.

Finally, Jen's eyes moved slowly to meet Ziva's face. There was a hint of panic in her expression. Jen shook her head slowly, as if to tell Ziva not to ask anything else. Ziva ignored her.

"What's wrong?"

Jen shook her head more vigorously this time. What was she supposed to say? She couldn't think of the words that she needed to say. She didn't know how to say it.

"Are you alright?" Ziva asked.

Jen looked at her, her eyes going wide. She thought about that question. She nodded her head very slowly, unsure of whether alright was the right term.

"I just don't feel good today," Jen whispered, fear in her voice and her voice quivering with emotion that Ziva didn't recognize.

"Perhaps you should go home?" Ziva suggested. "Is the case getting to you?"

"That's probably it," Jen whispered and stood up, with Ziva's help.

She stood for a minute with her back against the wall and swayed in place. Once she was steady she left the bathroom without a backward glance at Ziva. Jen didn't notice that she nearly knocked Tony over at the entrance to the bathroom and she glanced down at the empty squad room. Then, she made her way to the observation room, knowing that her father would be in the interrogation room.

She looked through the glass and saw that her father was sitting silently in front of Ilan Bodnar. Bodnar was agitated and impatient. The game was working. Jen was glad that it was her father sitting there.

"We do not have any viewers, today?" he asked Gibbs.

Gibbs glanced back and then shrugged. He didn't know if there was anyone in observation or not. He had invited the others to watch, as long as they did not interrupt. He had no idea if any of them would watch or not.

The observation room door opened and it was Ziva and Tony. They stood behind Jen, not disrupting her concentration on what was going on in the other room. Isaac also came in a second later. He stood next to Jen, but made no move to touch her. He did glance at her with concern on his face. Ziva could see that he had no idea what was going on, because he looked confused as well.

"Your daughter is quite beautiful, you know, Gibbs," Ilan said.

Jen gagged. She grasped her mouth with her hand and looked as though she was about to be sick. Isaac grabbed the trash can and put it between them. He stared at Jen. Jen only looked straight ahead with a slight nod in thank you to him.

"I can see that you are not feeling talkative today, Gibbs," Ilan said. "You know, it is far more fun to get interrogated by a former Mossad agent. It is interesting to see them squirm under the restrictions that this country puts on an interrogation. You are not as fun to play with though. Why don't you give me that gorgeous red-head of yours again? Oh, the things I could do to her."

This time, Jen did hurl, straight into the trash can. Tony groaned at the sight of it and Ziva looked concerned. Isaac held her hair and looked as though he were in pain. Something was off and everyone could tell, including Jen. When she looked up again there was panic in her eyes. Her eyes met Isaac's and he looked curious. She only shook her head and then looked back into the observation room.

"If you talk of my daughter that way again, then I will have to harm you," Gibbs threatened, coldly but very seriously.

"Then, why are you here?" Ilan said calmly, but his expression told the others that he was shaky.

"You know why I'm here, it is the same reason that you are here," Gibbs said.

"Fine," he shouted and slammed his chained hand on the table in front of him. He glanced around. "I have always had a thing for your daughter. She has always been beautiful. But it seems that that Isaac, pretty-boy got to her first. She chose him and it is terrible for me. Yes, I had Eli David killed, but I was not alone on ordering that hit. And the hit on Arash Kazmi was not mine. That one belonged to Orli Elbaz. She then lied to NCIS and everyone else, saying that I was indeed dead and she hid me and my brother Yaniv, but we did not cooperate with her terms very long. She is not the same that Eli was. Killing Eli was not a wise decision on my part, but he was going to ruin everything by talking with that Iranian.

"I am guilty of these things and nothing more. My brother is something I refuse to talk about," Ilan said with a sense of resignation on his face.

"That's good enough," Jen said and walked out of the observation room.

She entered the interrogation room soon after. He looked at her with fear in his eyes, realizing that she had heard every word that he said.

"What were your plans in America this time?" Jen asked.

"I was here to take you, Isaac, and Ziva out, but that is obviously not happening," he said quietly. "I failed and someone will follow you and find you. Someone will hunt you down as long as the other three are in place. My three bosses."

"Who are your bosses?" Jen asked coldly.

"Orli Elbaz, Hassein Ulman, and Ray Cruz," he said quietly.

Jen shuddered visibly. "Get him out of here," she ordered of her father and left the interrogation room. She had glanced one time at the window, to where she knew Ziva was standing.

Ziva left the observation room, bidding Tony and Isaac to stay.

Tony looked at Isaac. "What's going on with her?" he asked, sounding concerned. "I've never seen her like this."

"Honestly, Tony, neither have I," Isaac said, obviously panicking a little. "She hasn't told me what was going on. But all last night and this morning she was sick. I am hoping that it is just a stomach bug that she refuses to focus on. Although, she never gets sick, so this is highly unusual."

"You think it's something else?" Tony asked curiously.

"I think she will talk about it when she is ready," Isaac said, shaking his head in resignation. "Her and Ziva are very similar in that way. If you push they close. When they close up, they totally shut down and it becomes a forbidden topic. Normally, I would push anyway, but something tells me that having her close up about whatever this is, is not the right way to handle it."

"Your gut it probably right," Tony said. "She just seems so panicked."

"Panicked, fearful, anxious, alarmed, scared, terrified, and slightly happy all in the same," Isaac said. "I saw it all on her face. I saw every bit of raw emotion on her face between yesterday and today. While she feels as though she is in danger, she will not open up, I do not think."

"If she's like Ziva, then you're right," Tony said quietly. "But sometimes life surprises you."

Ziva followed Jen to the conference room, where Jen sat down and put her head down on the table.

"Jen, what is bothering you?"

"It is nothing Ziva. I was just having a few flashbacks yesterday and today," Jen said.

"To what?"

"Somalia," Jen said. "One of the worst parts."

"After they took you from our shared room, or during?" Ziva asked with concern in her eyes.

"After," Jen said. "That's all I'm going to say. Please, Ziva, don't push this."

Ziva walked over and hugged Jen. She didn't know what Jen needed, but she knew that a hug was in order.

* * *

It was July fourth. They were watching the fireworks and the entire family was together. Jenny and Gibbs were clinging to each other like there was no tomorrow. Jimmy and Breena were smiling at one another periodically, looking up at the fireworks show. Tony and Ziva were all over each other. Abby and McGee were sitting awkwardly next to each other, but still holding hands, as though conveying what they truly felt for each other through one simple touch. And Jen and Isaac were together. Jen had her head on Isaac's bare chest and she was sleeping peacefully through the loud fireworks. She had done a lot of sleeping through things lately, they had noticed. And she was not training herself as hard with a partner, she was doing more on her own.

The others were a little confused by this. They had managed to get Yaniv Bodnar as well. Now they were working on the other three and training as hard as they could. They were all tired, especially Jen who seemed almost fragile these days. One wrong word and it would send her emotions flying toward angry or hurt. No one seemed to understand and often times she dealt with it alone.

When the fireworks finished, Isaac made to pick her up, but her eyes snapped open and she stood on her own and shook her head at Isaac. He looked at her. They had an audience and that was obviously not what she wanted. She leaned up so that her lips were near his ear.

"I'm going to talk to Ziva for a minute; I want you to go back to the house. Take Tony with you," Jen whispered as quietly as she could.

He nodded slowly and watched as Jen made her way to Ziva and yanked on her arm. Ziva looked at Tony with a slightly apologetic look, which conveyed also that Jen needed to talk to her. It was obvious that Jen was not saying something and now she was going to open up to Ziva.

Tony glanced one more time at Ziva and made his way over to Isaac.

"Want to go back to my apartment and get some drinks or something?" Tony asked Isaac.

"That sounds great," Isaac said with a smile on his face. "Would the rest like to join?"

"I will," Abby said happily.

"Not me, I am tired," Ziva said, holding Jen's hand.

"And I need to get to bed," Jen said.

"I'm going inside and sleeping. Anyone that doesn't feel like driving may stay here," Gibbs said, looking right at Ziva and Jen who had just said they were tired.

"I'll be fine to drive, Gibbs," Ziva insisted. "I just do not wish to stay up too much later. I will drive Jen home so you can have the car Isaac."

They stayed still as the others filed out. Then Jen went up to her father and Jenny. "Good night," she said kissing each of them on the cheek and then moving off with Ziva.

They climbed into her car and buckled. Ziva started the engine and looked over at Jen. She was curious as to what was going on, but knew that the car was not the place to talk about it. She drove away toward her own apartment. She wanted to have some guaranteed privacy if Jen was going to actually open up to her like her eyes were saying she would.

She parked outside of her apartment and got out. Jen followed her up to the elevator and around the corner, where Ziva quickly unlocked the door and let them inside before walking to her couch and plopping down on it. Jen closed the door and followed Ziva to the couch, where she would not meet her gaze for several minutes.


	42. Secrets

**Chapter 42**

**Secrets**

"You have not been yourself," Ziva said.

"No, I have not," Jen said.

"You have been feeling ill, over-tired, over-stressed, annoyed, and your mood shifts easily," Ziva mentioned casually.

Ziva gave a look to Jen and Jen looked back at her. Ziva's eyebrows raised a little in question and Jen simply nodded. That was the end of the conversation. Ziva knew what was going on and Jen knew that Ziva knew. Ziva moved in and hugged Jen with a smile playing at both girls' faces.

"Everything will turn out well," Ziva said quietly to her. "Have you spoken with Isaac?"

"No," Jen said. "But I'm pretty sure he knows. He has been amazing the past couple of weeks. He has been very gentle with my moods and very caring toward me."

"Good," Ziva said. "But you should probably tell him right out what is going on."

"He'll be fine. We have a mission to accomplish and if this gets out, the I probably can't finish my job," Jen said. "Please, don't tell the others."

"Not a word, Jen," Ziva promised.

* * *

That night Jen had slept on Ziva's couch. It was a long night and she had often gotten up to go to the bathroom. Not much had happened in a long time. They had spent much time training. It was nearly two months after Independence Day and it was the first of September. Ziva was worrying as she dressed for the day. She was worrying about one person in particular and worrying about how well this would go over with everything that had gone on. They were coordinated, of course, but that didn't mean that it was going to be easy.

In a few days' time they would be fighting for their lives and everything that NCIS had worked to accomplish. She could remember clearly the plans that had been made the previous day. Jen had set them all to groups for the three that needed to be taken out. They were all trained and ready, or so Jen said, though Ziva was unsure of McGee and Abby. There was something going on with those two and they were hardly talking to each other at the moment, they had been on shaky ground all summer.

**_"Okay, we have Orli Elbaz, who will be protected by many in Mossad. We have Hassein Ulman, who is highly dangerous. And we have Ray Cruz who is former CIA and a rogue. Ziva and I will go after Ulman, no one is going to argue that. McGee and Tony will go for Ray Cruz, the CIA miscreant. Abby, Gibbs, Jenny and Kort will go after Orli. Remember that coordination is key. You must cooperate and coordinate with your partner. You must communicate with them. Have their back at all costs," Jen told them all before they broke off and discussed with their partners. "Isaac is the backup. He will watch the back for alternate intruders and he will be there for anyone's use."_**

Ziva and Jen had not really coordinated that evening. They had talked of having each other's backs and what would happen if Jen was in trouble, to which Jen had protested severely, but eventually agreed. Ziva was worrying about her and what was to come for them. Facing Hassein Ulman again was going to take a toll on Jen, but her and Ziva worked very well together and no one had argued with the assignment, though Ziva had not failed to notice that Isaac was reluctant.

Ziva knew that Isaac was in on the secret and was doing an excellent job of keeping it so far. The others had no idea what was going on. It was only the three former Mossad Officers that knew the secret and that was the best way. Jen often reminded the other two of rule number four. The best way to keep a secret was to keep it to yourself. The second best way was to tell one other person. There is no third best. Yet, three people knew, not because she had told two people, but because the other two who knew had figured it out on their own.

Tony came into his bedroom to see that Ziva was standing there, fully dressed and staring at the wall. He put a hand on her back and pulled her into a hug. He knew that whatever was worrying her had nothing to do with anything she needed to tell him and he was beyond pushing for information. All she had said to him was that it was nothing to do with him and not her secret to share.

Tony had accepted that and let it go. He just supported Ziva the best he could through whatever was going through her mind. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek from behind.

"We need to leave, my love," he whispered in her ear.

"I know," she whispered back and turned around and kissed him on the lips. It was now or never and they both knew it. There was more than one person to worry about. She had to worry about her whole family now that they were flying into Israel together.

Tony grabbed her hand as they left his apartment and made their way down the stairs, because the elevator was going to seem like it was taking too long and they both knew it. They were silent as they got into his car. They were both afraid of what was to come but they were not going to say that because it would make their fear seem more real.

Tony drove today toward the airfield near the Navy Yard. As they got there they also saw McGee's car pulling in at the same time. Gibbs' car was already there with Gibbs and Jenny standing outside of it. Behind McGee's car came Jen's car with Jen looking tired and Isaac looking worried.

Jen was wearing her marine uniform and Ziva could see something that worried her a little, but she was certain that the others didn't notice it, because they weren't looking for it and they didn't know to look for it. Ziva was relaxed when she noticed that only Isaac was looking at her worriedly.

They climbed onto the plane and sat in their seats and prepared for a very long flight with the group. Kort was already on the plane, though none of them knew where he parked.

"Kort," Ziva said with a nod.

"Ziva," he replied.

Trent Kort sat next to Gibbs, looking focused. Gibbs was deep in thought as he stared at Jenny. Jenny was looking back just as focused. Next sat Jen and Isaac. They were not looking at one another and were not looking anywhere in particular, but soon Jen rested her head on Isaac and fell asleep. Tony and Ziva were next. They were clinging to one another like there was no tomorrow. Abby sat next to McGee and they kept throwing glances at one another.

About halfway through the flight Jen looked at them and stared long and hard.

"I'm glad I split you two," she said quietly and everyone looked at her. "Come on, it's obvious, isn't it? They are clearly head over heals for each other and McGee thinks that she's not ready for any kind of field work, despite the fact that she's had the best training that there is out there. She is ready, McGee. Stop worrying about her. She is in a group of four for a reason. There are three people to have her back!"

McGee and Abby glared at her. Jen had again pointed out what everyone else was too afraid to say to either of them in front of the entire group. Jen had a habit of pointing those things out without mercy, but it had worked for Jenny and her father, so why not McGee and Abby?

"Well, you two are," Jen said as they both stared at her.

McGee looked at Abby and smiled. They all heard Gibbs sigh a heavy sigh as the two younger members exchanged a smile and a look. McGee took Abby's hand and Jen was satisfied for now. She had other things to focus on at the moment and one of those things was something that was still days away and not going to be easy on any of them, which they all knew was the cause of the silence on the plane today. She would remind them when they arrived that the mission was still days away and it was going to be fine. She had a gut feeling about the outcome and her gut was hardly ever wrong, just like her father's gut.

"Kid, you got a bad habit of pointing out the awkward subjects for everyone," Gibbs said with a smile on his face.

"I know," she said with a wink. "But, someone's got to with this team."

The others laughed and Jen sighed. The light mood was fine for now, but they would all have to get serious sooner or later. That was just the way it was. They would have to get serious about the mission and serious about Parsons. Jen couldn't see a time in the future when things would just be light, easy, and fun, not that they ever had been with the whole team all at the same time.

* * *

The plane finally touched down. The rest of the ride had been totally silent, in which Jen Gibbs had slept again most of the way there. She still looked very tired and no one could figure out quite why, but Tony was noticing that Ziva and Isaac both had a knowing look on their faces. They drove to Haifa from Tel Aviv. It was not a horribly long drive, but it was not easy either as they were all piled into one SUV.

As they got out is when Tony noticed it. He was not happy about it, but he noticed why Ziva and Isaac were not saying anything about Jen and what was going on with her. He didn't understand how he had missed it all this time because it was the only thing that made sense.

He approached her as they made their way into the cottage on the beach. He held her back. She looked up at him, knowing that he knew, but her face was hard and the face of a Mossad Officer that he recognized from Ziva. Ziva was also standing there, but back a little ways.

"Why are you here?" Tony whispered to her, his tone a little dark and dangerous, as though too concerned.

"I have to make it right," Jen said. "I think I made that perfectly clear already."

"That's not what I meant, Jen," Tony said.

There was silence while they stared at each other. Tony glanced down at her and then back up to her eyes.

"Why are you taking such a huge risk?" he asked.

"You know why," Jen said glancing down at herself and knowing exactly what he was talking about. "Listen, Tony, please don't bring it up to the others. Especially not Gibbs."

"Just, be careful, okay?" Tony asked, a little taken aback by her use of her father's last name to him. "Promise me you'll be careful?"

"I promise, Tony," Jen said. "Thank you."

Tony hugged Jen and then he, Jen, and Ziva went inside with the exchange over before anyone else could notice that they were absent. They had three and a half days. They had to remain hidden inside the cottage until then, because this was the very cottage that the suspects were supposed to meet at. That was what Jen had planned on purpose, because there was a slight change in the circumstances. They were going to be ready by nine in the morning on the sixth for the arrival of the three that needed to be taken out. They already had the okay from NCIS and other government agencies.

Now it was time to wait. By nightfall they were already tired of waiting. Jenny prepared the food tonight. She was nervously silent as she worked in the kitchen. Abby was pacing and Jen approached her.

Jen pulled her into a hug and Abby knew what she was feeling and Jen reminded herself at the knowing glance of Abby that she needed to stop hugging people for a while until they knew. Jen gently shook her head at Abby, telling her not to say anything, then continued on with her thoughts.

"We'll get through this," she said to Abby. "I know it's your first mission. I know how it feels. They never get any easier. But once we are in action, we rely on instinct and training. That is why the training was so extensive."

Abby simply nodded to her gave her one more knowing glance and then walked toward McGee and laid her head down on his shoulder, as Jenny came out with the food. Jen sat down next to Ziva and ate silently.

Ziva was curious about the exchange between Abby and Jen, but no one else had noticed. Ziva knew what it was about and kept it to herself. After they ate they all went to bed. Ziva laid in Tony's arms, too nervous to sleep.

"Abby knows," Ziva said to Tony.

"About Jen?" Tony questioned.

"Yes," Ziva said.

"How?"

"Jen hugged Abby," Ziva said simply. "Now Abby knows too, but she won't say anything. Any changes now instantly compromise the mission. I feel like I should have said something to Gibbs, but I could not betray Jen's wishes."

"I feel like you should have said something to me," Tony whispered.

"It was not…."

"I know, don't worry about it," Tony said. "It wasn't your place to say. I get it, Ziva. You are her sister in a way that she will never have with anyone else. You had to keep her trust and protect her at the same time. She'll talk when she's ready. But, first the mission is important."

"Yes, it is," Ziva said. "We should get some sleep. We are all going to be kept inside for the next few days and I feel like there will be turmoil with all of us inside all the time. We are all close, but being locked together is difficult."

"Yes," Tony agreed. "Especially with a large group."


	43. The Mission

A/N – Thank you all for the wonderful reviews you have given me and the support you've given throughout the course of this story so far. I could end this story, but I have more in mind to keep it going if that is what everyone wants, it will just change up a little bit. I have a couple questions. Do you want me to continue the story? And, if so there are a few things to consider. Do you want Ziva to go like in reality, or to remain in the story? Do you want her to work at NCIS or resign either permanently or open-endedly? Please review or message me with your feedback to these questions so that I know whether to allow my imagination to wonder still or not! Thank you all!

* * *

**Chapter 43**

**The Mission**

They were waiting. There was nothing at all to do in the house, but they had to remain in the house. So, they looked out of the curtains and planned. They would sleep outside on the final night. They would all have to wear desert camouflage and it was a good thing that Jen had brought some extra, since they needed to blend in. she had even taken some from the marine store in DC, with permission of course.

Now they all dressed and headed outside. On the porch they were each given an earwig by Gibbs, who told them that they had to stay in touch with each other for the mission to work. They went to their spots and settled there for the night. Each one of them had their own things to cope with.

Ziva was watching Jen. She was watching her like a hawk watched its prey. She was making sure she was all right, that she would rest. She felt like it was once again her job to watch over her little sister to make sure she would make it through a dangerous mission. She was nervous, not for herself, but for Jen and what the others might think if something were to happen to her.

Jen was looking around, but was tired. She needed to sleep. When she saw that all was quiet she leaned her head against the side of the building and closed her eyes, hoping for sleep to come that night. She knew that she would need all the rest she could get for the mission tomorrow and this was not the way she had originally planned to spend the night before an important mission.

Tony was alone. He felt cold and lonely without Ziva by his side. He had spent much of his last few days either clinging to her in secrecy or alone. He was sick of being alone. All he wanted was for this to be over and to have Ziva back in his arms, knowing that she was safe. He really didn't know how he would cope with them both returning to work back at NCIS, because he would worry about her more now than he ever had; he would worry that they would lose the other and be alone. It was a terrible feeling.

McGee leaned his back on the side of the house, just able to make out Gibbs and Abby in the distance. She was going to be safe. She was with Gibbs, and Gibbs would never let anything happen to her. That was a good thing. But, why was he still so worried? Secretly, he wished it was him that was protecting her and having her back. But, he knew that Jen had put them this way for a specific reason and that was so no one was distracted by another during this important mission.

Isaac was behind the house a little ways. He couldn't see any of the others and he felt the most alone. He was watching the back way to the house, making sure that no one was breaking in at all that night. It was his responsibility to stay up during the night and keep watch on the back; just like it was Kort's responsibility to do on the front side. Those two would be the most tired in the morning and they both knew it.

Gibbs was fidgeting. Of all things that he had never done on a mission that was it. He had never had to worry about his entire family before, but he knew that he should have a long time ago. His daughter was hiding something. Ziva was there to protect her though, but how far would she go in protecting her, that was how he had lost Kelly after all. Abby was by his side and he could protect her. Tony was alone now but he would have McGee at his side soon enough. McGee was going to have Tony at his side. Jenny was alone too. That scared him. He had never felt so scared to love and open up before, but with Jenny it was beyond the fear. There was genuine happiness there that he had lost so many years ago when he was in Desert Storm.

Kort was searching the grounds with his eyes. His eyes scanned methodically. The beaches were clear, there wasn't a soul in sight. The hills were clear, not a soul there either. To his left he caught Jenny leaning against the tree. Gibbs and Abby leaning against another. Tony at the far side with Jen and Ziva not too far away. McGee was leaning against the other corner of the house. He couldn't see Isaac, but he could contact him if necessary.

"Clear on the front side," he whispered into the microphone.

"Clear on the back," Isaac whispered.

Jenny was leaning her back against the tree behind her and she was staring up at the stars. She had never had such a clear view of them before now. She was amazed and stunned and in awe at them, and instantly understood why Ziva, Jen, and Isaac all liked Haifa, Israel as a good spot to go. She closed her eyes and allowed sleep to take her.

* * *

They had waited their time in the house and outside during the night. Now, they were situated throughout out the area surrounding the house. None of them were going the sniper route, because this was too personal to all of them. Ziva and Jen were standing at the corner, thinking that the men would come along first and they would have to be closest to the door to ambush them. Jen looked to her left to spot Tony behind a tree and McGee at the other corner of the house.

Everyone was on alert and looking around for the people near them, seeking the sense of comfort that came with working in a team this size. It was also good to know that every single one of them could trust the others. The only one that was in no one sights was Isaac and they knew that they still had earwigs to contact him if they must or for him to contact the others if it was necessary.

Then Jen looked out. She could just make out Gibbs and Abby in the distance. Kort was somewhere near them and Jenny was at another angle. They had the hardest job.

All they had to do was wait for their guests to arrive, even though they were not expected to be there, which was all a part of Jen's plan and she hoped and even prayed that it would work. She glanced at her watch. It was two minutes before nine, which meant that it was almost go time.

"I've got eyes on the targets," whispered Gibbs voice in their ear pieces. "Situated as we thought. Ulman and Cruz out front, Elbaz with a Mossad security guard at her back. She's suspicious, looking around."

"Hold your ground," Jen whispered, sounding patient and emotionless as she calmed her own nerves.

This was what they had all spent months training for. This was not going to be easy, no matter what. Ulman was a terrorist and had been active for many years. Orli was a Mossad Officer not too long ago, before she became the Director of Mossad and the guard at her back was going to be highly trained and trusted. And Ray Cruz was CIA, which meant that he had extensive training in arts as well as hiding and shooting. He was going to be good. He was a rogue though. Jen thought over the pairings as well.

Ziva and her could communicate without words and they had a personal reason to take out Ulman, so this was going to be easiest for them. Tony and McGee were excellent partners and would have each other's backs, but know when it was time to fight and when it was not without any clouded judgment. Gibbs and Jenny were separated so that they wouldn't interfere with each other. Kort was there to monitor that and take out the security team and help with the other efforts. And Abby was newly trained and had Gibbs watching out for her.

There were no personal feelings that would get in the way of judgment. There were no personal relationships in the pairings. Some were not currently paired. They had the three and a security guard out numbered and that was to their advantage.

"I've got eyes on them," Tony said in a whisper from near us. "McGee?"

"Yup, got them," he said quietly.

"We've got them, too," Jen whispered with a nod to Ziva. "Three, two… one, go!"

They all moved out at once. Ziva and Jen came at Ulman from the same side, causing him to run to the other side. Tony and McGee had Ray trapped between them and he started going back to the Orli. Orli's guard was taken before we had moved by Gibbs, who had put a silencer on his gun.

Ziva ran around to meet Ulman on the other side, knocking his gun out of his hand and taking him down on the ground. She slammed hard into him and Jen kneeled on him as well, as he sliced into her leg with his knife. She took the knife and threw it to the side. This was supposed to be a hit, but they would love to see this man on trial.

McGee distracted Ray, while Tony tackled him and took him down, hurting his shoulder in the process while Jen wrestled with the man below her, feeling a snap in her leg. She won and handcuffed and searched Ulman for more weapons.

There was quite a firefight going on between the others. Gibbs was now sparring with Orli.

"Isaac!" Jen hissed into the microphone, seeing what was going on and then saw him come out of nowhere to protect her father as Orli made a devastating move.

Isaac hit her with full force as he shot her in the head, knocking her to the ground and throwing her aim off. She bled out right there. She was gone and the operation had already been approved, that was good. Ulman was struggling against the cuffs and so was Ray Cruz. This was going to be a fun interrogation.

Jen's head snapped up and looked around, making sure the coast was clear. That was too easy to take them down. The Mossad Director was dead. Ray Cruz and Hassein Ulman were in handcuffs and everyone was unharmed. There was a wave of relief that washed over Jen. She even smiled.

"We got them," she said into the earpiece as the others rushed over to them. But, they noticed then that Jen's leg was bleeding.

"Looks like he got you," Gibbs said with a frown on his face.

"Just a flesh wound," Jen said with a shrug, hardly noticing the burning pain that was coursing around her wound. "It's not a big deal."

"Jen, you were stabbed and your leg is broken!" Ziva shouted, her eyes wide with fear.

"It's a knife wound, Ziva," Jen argued. "I'll be fine. Now, let's go home with these dust bags!"

"Dirt bags," Tony corrected automatically.

Jen rolled her eyes and looked at Ziva. "How can you stand that all the time?"

Everyone laughed.

"I'll sedate them and fly them back. They will arrive in your NCIS interrogation room in a couple of days," Kort said. "Go home, all of you and talk. Because I believe that there is something that Jen will need to share with you."

"We'll need Ducky to look at that leg and determine if you need a hospital to take care of you," Gibbs said. "And your shoulder, too, DiNozzo. What did Kort mean by that, though?"

"Nothing," Jen said too quickly as they went toward the cars.

Ziva helped Jen as she hobbled along, unable to put any weight on her leg, or at least not much and she was trying hard too. They boarded the plane and were sitting in an odd sitting arrangement that was not expected of them. The girls were all on one side and the boys were all on the other. Abby, Jen, Ziva, and Jenny were looking into the eyes of Tony, Isaac, Gibbs, and McGee. It was done. Everything was done.

"What did you need to tell us?" Gibbs asked.

* * *

A/N - Don't forget to review. Continue the story? Ziva staying or leaving the story? Ziva staying or leaving NCIS? Or Ziva leaving NCIS with the possibility of return? I have a lot of options in my head right now and I need your help to decide what to do. Please review with the answers.


	44. A New Beginning

A/N – Thank you all for the input. This is the last chapter of the Summer After Disaster. But, there will be a sequel coming soon. It will be Fall Consequences. So, look for it. It will be the same characters and the same story line, I just figured there were enough chapters and since the summer in my story was over and we were at the fall then, we should go onto a new season. Ziva will remain in the story, though I have not yet decided if she will remain at NCIS or not. We'll see where everything goes and what happens.

Thank you all for the reviews. Thank you for following and supporting this story. I will try to have the first chapter of Fall Consequences up later today or tomorrow. I hope you like that as much as you've liked this!

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or the characters.

* * *

**Chapter 44**

**A New Beginning**

_"What did you need to tell us?" Gibbs asked._

Gibbs had just asked the question. The question that Jen was fearing answering. The one that she had been hiding for too damn long. She couldn't think. She couldn't answer. She looked around at everyone sitting there and her eyes met with Isaac's. He nodded to her in hopes that she would answer her father.

"Jen?"

Her eyes snapped to her father and then down to the floor. Could she actually talk? Could she really let this out? He would be furious with her for continuing the mission and keeping all this a secret from them for so long. This was difficult. Her eyes returned to her father.

"Jen?" Gibbs asked again.

All eyes were on her as she sat there in a stunned silence. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth. She closed it again as she struggled to comprehend that all this was more than real. She opened her mouth again.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered.

All of her coworkers heard her, of course. They all carried different expression. Some of understanding and others of shock and confusion. Gibbs looked around.

"Tony, when did you find out?" Gibbs asked.

"Before we left, boss," he said. "That's when it all made sense. But she never told me."

"Abby?"

"When I hugged her," Abby said. "I… um… I could feel it."

"Ziva?"

"Was the first to know and Isaac was the second," Jen finished before her father could go on and answer the others. "I'm pretty sure Ducky has it figured out because he's brilliant, but I did not tell anyone other than Isaac and Ziva. I needed to go on this mission and I knew that if I was pregnant or people knew I was pregnant then you wouldn't let me go or it would be more dangerous."

"I understand," Gibbs said with a frown on his face. "It doesn't make me any happier about it, but is that why you decided to have Ziva at your back?"

"She knew, Dad," Jen said. "I figured it was best to have her there. She knew but she would keep her emotions in check the whole time."

"How far along?"

"Fifteen weeks," Jen said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

There were tears in Gibbs' eyes and no one understood them. They all waited silently as he gathered his thoughts, hoping that he would say something about the emotions that were running through him now.

"I never thought I would see any of my girls again," he finally said. "Now I am going to be a grandfather. It seems impossible, but a dream come true. Congratulations, my little Jenny! Congratulations big time!"

Everyone smiled, including Jen. They were all happy about this. The round of congratulations started and went all the way around the circle with Isaac and Jen smiling. Then, Jen had one more thing to say.

"As soon as my leg is functional again, Isaac and I will be getting married. Pregnant and all."

They all smiled and another round of congratulations went around the circle of friends and family.

* * *

It was Saturday. They were sitting in Gibbs basement. Jen and Gibbs were sitting there with A.J. Chegwidden and Tony and Ziva. It was an awkward silence that had filled the room since they had all arrived. They knew that this meeting was very important and they knew that Parsons had far more charges to bring on these people. He was going to lay off of Jen and Isaac because he had finally gotten a note from the Commandant saying that the missions were all classified but approved through the United States Marine Corps, which meant that they had immunity.

Gibbs was also cleared. They had learned that much through Vance and Chegwidden. Now their focus was on Tony and Ziva, who had to fight international espionage charges for their time in Berlin. It was huge and Jen had an idea, that she was afraid to say.

"Why are we here?" Ziva asked, sitting opposite from everyone.

"You are being charged with international espionage for your time in Berlin," A.J. Chegwidden said. "There is only one way to avoid this, since you two are the only ones who can be used as witnesses against each other. I mean, there is the whole deal with Adam Eschel, but no one can find him, he has disappeared, which means that they can't use him as a witness unless he miraculously turns up between now and then."

"I will not testify against Tony!" Ziva said suddenly. "I'll take the fall if I have to, but I won't testify against him!"

"Same!" Tony said angrily.

"Listen, you cannot lie in court," Jen said uneasily. "I mean you can plead the fifth, but that makes you both look guilty. They will still use you as witnesses against each other, which is what they want to do. Pleading the fifth will make you look like you are trying to hide something. But…."

She paused, looking away from them and holding her stomach lightly. She smiled slightly as she felt the baby inside kick softly on her stomach. Then, she turned her focus back to the other two.

"The only way that I can see this working and you two not testifying against each other is if you get married," Jen said. "They cannot force a husband and wife to testify against each other."

The atmosphere of the room shifted as they sat uncomfortably. A.J. spoke next.

"She's absolutely right. She knows the law well. She would make a good investigator. But, that is beside the point. I think that you two should do it," A.J. said.

"I agree," Gibbs said shortly with a scowl on his face, showing his dislike for forcing these two into this situation.

Tony and Ziva looked at each other. They stared for a moment into each other's eyes, sharing a silent conversation with each other. The end result would be made clear to the others as they sat there and waited.

"We'll do it," they said at the same time, without showing any emotion on their faces.

None of them looked surprised except for A.J. He didn't figure that they would go for it. It was their only defense at the moment and that was still in hopes that Adam Eschel didn't turn up to witness against them and say that they were in Berlin and were there to catch Bodnar without permission to do so.

"Are you sure?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, boss," Tony said. "Ziva and I are willing to do anything to protect each other. I know that on my end for sure, but I've seen it on her end as well."

"Good," he said. "Now everyone leave me alone while I think. Jen, when does Isaac go on his next assignment?"

"In a couple of weeks," Jen said. "But, I've made another decision."

They all stopped. They were on the stairs. They looked at Jen and Jen looked at them.

"I'm turning down the promotion. I'm done with the Marines, for good. I want a permanent job in the United States. This has all been too much. I'm done. I'm tired of it. I want to be home for once. I want to have a family and raise a family. I want to be near my family."

"Good for you, kid. Good for you," Gibbs said, leaning in and kissing her forehead. "Will you get married before or after he comes back?"

"After," Jen said uncomfortably. "Unfortunately, my leg is nowhere near good enough and I have been told that I'm not allowed to use it at all. I refuse to walk down the aisle on crutches."

They all smiled, especially Ziva, who knew the feeling only too well. Jen got up and walked out with the other four, leaving Gibbs alone in his basement to dwell on the things that he needed to dwell on. They all knew that he needed to take the prospect of becoming a grandfather into consideration. He needed to think about Jenny being alive. He needed to come to terms with the fact that he just approved Tony and Ziva getting married and he didn't even need to point out that he knew they were in a relationship.

In all honesty, he had seen this as a potential outcome when he had given them permission to go to Berlin. He knew what could happen because of it. International espionage was a worst case scenario and he knew that if he had sent McGee then neither of them would have been willing to marry the other and keep up appearances in order to save the other. They would do almost anything to save each other, but they were like a brother and sister. He had sent Tony, knowing that only Tony and Ziva would come out well in this situation.

He had a positive feeling in the pit of his stomach and he was happy about all that had taken place since the death of Ziva's father. He knew that it would turn out well, somehow.

There was one thing that worried him though. He worried about Jen. He worried because, yes, she had said she would turn down her promotion, but would they let her go? Would the Commandant stick to his word and let her go? She was amazing and that was awesome. He was going to offer her a job on the MCRT at NCIS. She got along with everyone very well and she fit right in with everyone. But, she would need maternity leave. He knew that Vance already wanted her for a team, but Gibbs wanted her on his team, because she was the best.

He was just worried that the old marine would get to her and her rise to the top would be continued once again, as it had been the last time that she had accepted a promotion. He knew that she had planned on turning it down after her time in Somalia, but had in the end been talked into continuing with what she had always done. He could see that she was really ready for a change and the pregnancy of his daughter only magnified that.

Tony and Ziva would be fine. Jen might be fine. But, she was going to miss Isaac who was going away again soon. She would need support through her pregnancy. Gibbs began to work on something new, thinking that it was high time for him to be the grandfather he always wanted to be.

Jenny was another matter. He loved Jenny. He loved her with all his heart and he knew that Jen saw her as a mother, even though she wasn't Shannon. He would have to keep her around. As a matter of fact, she would be there in a little while and she would know that he would be in his basement. She would think he was drinking bourbon while working on the wood, but not today. Today he had no bourbon, just wood and hands.

He smiled at the thoughts. This was going to be a long process and there were many consequences yet to come and he knew that. But, they would take them as they came.

* * *

A/N – Again, thank you for reading this story. It is now at a close! The first chapter of Fall Consequences will be up later today or tomorrow and will be a sequel to this story! Thank you for the wonderful reviews and the input about the questions I have asked earlier. I appreciate every one of them.


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